Sith Rise
by Shadow Sword
Summary: During the final confrontation with Glory, Buffy didn’t die when she went through the portal. And a year and a half later, she’s needed in Sunnydale again. But where did she go and what happened to her there?
1. Chapter 1

Title: Sith Rise

Author: Shadowsword

Summary: Buffy didn't die when she went through the portal. And now she's needed in Sunnydale again.

Rating: T

Pairing: Canon for now

Feedback: desired.

Author's notes: During the final confrontation with Glory, Buffy disappears for a year and a half before being returned. Faith goes through most of the season six and the first half of season seven with a few minor differences.

Disclaimer: BtVS belongs to Joss Whedon and Mutant Enemy. KotOR belongs to LucasArts and George Lucas.

* * *

Buffy turns. In slow-motion, she runs down the platform as Dawn stays there crying. Buffy leaps off the end of the platform and falls into the portal.

Dawn and the Scoobies continue to watch, sobbing and yet, unable to turn away.

Buffy falls into the portal and hangs there motionless, pain wracking her petite frame as energy dances over her. The portal writhes and spits before it shrinks to nothingness and disappears, taking all signs of Buffy with it. The sun begins to laboriously climb above the horizon.

* * *

Faith impatiently waits with the Scoobie gang. Despite the year and a half she's protected the world since Buffy's disappearance, she still feels like an outsider. She sighs deeply before glancing around the living room. Willow sits nervously on the couch for Giles and Anya's return, clinging to Kennedy's hand with desperate strength. Xander idly carves on a stake as he passes the time, his eyes the only sign of unease. Spike walks into the room sipping at a mug. The other potentials sit waiting as Dawn outlines just what Giles and Anya are trying to uncover. She jumps to her feet and rushes to the window and looks out. She turns back, her relief evident as she informs the group "They're back."

A few minutes later, Giles looks around at the potentials and what he has come to see as his family. He clears his throat. "We have discovered out why the First is able to act. It's because the slayer line is split. And as long as this continues, it's strength and influence will continue to grow."

Willow holds up her hand. "Um, I thought that with Buffy's death, the disruptions in the line had straighten out."

"That would normally be the case, but in this instance, somehow, Buffy is still alive. Her absence from our world, our dimension, has aggravated the situation. And so we need to find a way to bring her back to prevent the first's opportunity and to begin to reduce it's power."

Kennedy asks "Why? If she's so great, then she should be able to find her way back."

"That would depend on what kind of world she is presently residing in. If magic use is widespread, then finding her way back should be comparatively easier. On the order of facing twenty vampires at once with a single stake rather then empty handed."

Anya sits. "I would feel much safer with her here. She has a tendency to take risks and unusual actions."

Willow looks up, a desperate hint of hope gleaming in her eyes. "We tried to bring her back once before, Giles."

"The reason you failed is that you tried to resurrect someone who is still alive. We need to locate her and then we can return her to her home."

* * *

A month later. Willow looks up from her latest effort to find Buffy and grins. Xander looks at her. "Why so happy?"

Giles looks up from his efforts to find some weakness, some vulnerability of the First. Spotting Willows faint smile in a face that had been driven since they found out Buffy still lived, asks her "Did you find something?"

"I found her!" she squeals, her eyes shining with delight.

"That's good news, Willow. Now we can prepare the spell to recall her to our world." Giles stops and looks at her, her manner more upbeat then any time since Buffy's dive into the portal.

* * *

Another week passes and with the assistance of the coven in England, they are ready to make an attempt to bring Buffy back.

Willow wakes from her sleep, moping until she realizes what day it is. As a rush of energy sweeps through her, Willow dashes through her morning, impatient at the small delays that seem to rise. After an early lunch, Willow, Xander, Dawn, Giles and Anya gather at the site where Buffy disappeared . Faith and Spike remain behind, Faith to train the potentials and Spike because of the sun.

As they carefully inscribe the circle, each one thinks back to that day. Xander trembles at the thought of his hero returning. Giles smiles at the woman who wormed her way into his heart as a daughter. Dawn wants her sister back. Anya remembers how much everyone change afterwards. And Willow thinks about the women she holds deep in her heart, in a place she has hidden from everyone but Tara. The place that Buffy held since they met all those years ago.

Willow stands and arranges the others to their posts. Willow delivers a silent prayer 'Goddess, let us succeed. Let us recall the warrior to her home. Please, let me see her again, even if I can't be with her.' She looks at the others, Giles at the north, Xander to the south, Anya across from her to the west and Dawn in the center of the circle. She begins. As the spell is spoken by the five participants, the wind builds. The crashing of thunder obscures their voices and she carries on, trusting that the others will do their parts.

As the eldritch power builds, Willow focuses on Dawn for an instant, marking what they seek. The power builds and lightning strikes the four corners. A final bolt stretches down, engulfing the center of the circle and Dawn.

Then a moment of silence as the pillar of light blazes brightly, forcing everyone to look away and cover their eyes. Then as they regain their sight, they see a hooded and robed figure beside Dawn, a figure who promptly collapses to the ground.

As they stand stunned, Dawn drops to her knees and slowly collapses, breaking the spell upon them. They rush forward.

Xander grabs Dawn and checks her, relieved that he can find no sign of injury, he glances at the other figure. Giles rolls the mysterious figure over and sees blood flowing. "Dear Lord." He yanks his handkerchief out of his pocket and tries to staunch the wound. Willow kneels beside him and pushes back the hood, gasping at the sight of Buffy. Quickly, they do what little they can before taking her home.

* * *

Buffy slowly wakes, her senses reaching out for any sign of danger. But aside from a familiar but unknown something, the only things she senses are worry and concern for her. She opens her eyes and looks around. She finds herself in a room filled with items and things that she swears she's never seen before and yet they seem familiar. She looks around at the small room that shows signs of multiple individuals sleeping on the floor. She sits up, wincing at the wound in her stomach. She finally notices the pajamas she's wearing. "Yummy Sushi?" the words slip out before she even realizes she knows the strange language. She focuses and reaches out, touching the life force of the universe. Channeling a small fragment into her body, she relaxes as the wounds to her body close. She forces her self to her feet, and makes her way to the desk.

Looking at the pictures there, she starts slightly at her presence in them, her and two people from her dreams. The guy, brunet with warm brown eyes summoned up feelings of friendship. The other one, the red haired girl, called to her in way no one else ever had. Not even what few memories of Malak before they went off to fight. She picks one and carefully studies it, lost in though. Suddenly, she began to move. Imperatives calling for food and water sent her moving, while still lost in the photo. Unconsciously, she leaves the bedroom and slowly descends the stairs.

* * *

In the dining room, Faith looks at the five scoobies. While Spike sits to the side looking smug. Andrew gazes longingly at the weapon belt that Buffy was wearing, the belt lying on the table. What looks like two guns lay holstered and two tube like objects hang by each weapon. An assortment of spheres fill two compartments and what looks like a nose and mouth mask fits in another. Several other items peek from gaps in their compartments. "Just what is everything anyway?"

Xander carefully removes one of the two pistol like weapons from it's holster and carefully examines it, making sure not to push or pull on any of the buttons or the apparent trigger before returning it with equal care. "It looks like a pistol but I've never seen anything like it before."

Willow looks around. "Guys, none of this stuff seems to have spells on it. Why don't we wait for her to wake up and ask her then?"

Giles clears his throat. "Her injury and general condition indicate that she will most likely remain asleep till tomorrow morning. Until then, it behooves us to ensure that this equipment is benign. We have no idea just how disturbed she may be or even how she will react."

Willow opens her mouth to say something but surprise freezes her as Buffy silently pads into the room on her way to the kitchen. As the others become aware of her, they also fall silent. She walks as if in a trance, slowly and surely. As she passes the table, the belt leaps into her out stretched hand. Slinging the belt over her shoulder, she enters the kitchen and heads toward the sink. She fills a glass and drinks while opening the fridge and removing and beginning to fix a sandwich.

Willow joins her as the rest watch from the door, observing as Buffy sleep navigates through the room. After she finishes, she seems to wake and looks around confusedly.

* * *

Buffy suddenly becomes aware of her surroundings as she swallows the last bite of her sandwich. She looks around and sees a half dozen persons watching her, five from the doorway and one just a few feet away. Felling no menace from them, glances at the face of the closest one. Her heart leaps into her throat as see gazes into the eyes of her dream angel. She reaches out one hand hesitantly and touches her cheek. Softly speaking, she asks "So you are real, and so beautiful. Who are you? And how do I know you?" She looks around at the strangely familiar and yet completely unknown room. "And where are we?"

* * *

Willow freezes as Buffy reaches out to her and gently, lovingly touches her check. And then she speaks. Willow frowns as the unknown words flow from her friend's mouth. And when she looks around, obviously confused, and asking something, Willow's heart goes out to her again. She reaches out and takes hold of Buffy's hand and guides her to the living room. Pulling her down beside her as she sits on the couch, Willow turns to her and studies her long lost best friend.

The others look on in confusion as they follow and take seats around the room. Xander pauses as Buffy looks at him and then beckons him to sit beside her. Thinking of how much he missed her, he joins them on the couch.

After a minute, Giles begins the questioning. "How are you Buffy?"

Dawn leaps off her chair and tries to get her sister in a hug. Buffy's recoil at her approach startles her. "What's wrong with her?"

Spike grabs her and pulls her down beside him. "Quiet, little bit. Give her a chance to adjust to everything."

Faith just sits quietly, studying the elder slayer.

Willow begins, "I can't understand her, Giles. I don't have any idea of what language she's speaking." Suddenly, she stiffens momentarily and inspiration fills her face. She holds up her hand and points to herself and says "Willow." A pause "Willow Rosenberg."

Buffy, after several repeats, gets the idea. One by one, each one of them names themselves for Buffy.

* * *

Buffy looks around at the group sitting around her, the two she remembers beside her and the others scattered around the room. She starts with the apparent eldest. He wears glasses and at one time touched the dark side. He seems intelligent and, if not the leader then a close advisor. The blond haired man reeks of darkness and yet, the force seems to ignore him. However, some other part calls him a potential foe. The third man, the youngest, seems to embody a thirst for knowledge and a brush with the dark side. The last man, sitting beside her, is neither light nor dark but grey and dangerous. Still, her instincts label him a friend. Looking at the women, she smiles. The youngest, a brunette is full of anger and sorrow, there is something about her that calls both pain and green to mind. The other brunette has walked on the dark side and now regrets it. She seeks redemption and yet is filled with remorse. With this one, there is a connection, little that of sisters in arms. The light brown one is unusual, she is greedy and fearful, and yet in love with the man who sits beside her. She has walked on the dark side for a long time and yet is so little touched by it. The last one, the red-haired one from her dreams sits beside her. Yet another that has touched the dark side, her being speaks of grief and joy. Sorrow for her actions and a fear of her self combined with great compassion for others.

She smiles inside when the red-haired one suddenly points to her self and says something. After several repeats, she pronounces the strange word. "Willow." The others follow along, each apparently naming themselves. The names are unfamiliar and yet, seem to fit the people here.

She points toward herself and tells them her name. Unusual where she was at, it fits better here."Alexi."

* * *

Willow smiles as Buffy points to herself. The name itself surprises everyone there. "Alexi. Alexi Rose."

She glances around at the rest of them, their surprised faces telling her what she needed to know. "Guys, she doesn't remember. Any ideas?" At their continued lack of response, Willow stands and pulls Buffy up.

As they start to walk off, Faith asks "Where are you ...?"

Willow looks back, her resolve face on. "Upstairs. Tomorrow, I'll show her around town. See if anything jogs her memory." With that, she leads Buffy back upstairs.

* * *

Buffy looks around the room she woke up in. The red head, Willow, has lead her around the place, and something deep inside her tells her that this person she has no memory of has her trust, in fact has something more then that. She watches as Willow takes several photos from their place by the mirror and sits on the bed beside her. As Willow identifies her in the pictures, Buffy thinks. Even after she had received access to her records, there were gaps in her life.

She studies the room and it's shrine like atmosphere. She looks as Willow opens the closet and the drawers revealing the cloths. She checks a few out and discovers that they all are her size. She shrugs and strips before choosing what to wear, ignoring Willow's surprised gasp.

* * *

Willow stares as Buffy strips and starts to dress. Recovering her self after Buffy has clad herself in under wear, Willow touches her arm and gestures to her wound. Buffy sits on the bed and lets the young woman carefully remove the bandages and examine the tender area. She smiles, remembering back to the inability of the order to explain why she healed so fast.

* * *

Buffy studies her companion's face and makes a decision. She remembers how to trade the knowledge of languages with others. She finishes getting dressed in before grabbing the other's hand. She points outside and pantomimes the two of them sitting and meditating together. This time, she urges her guide to towards the back of the residence.

When they get outside, she sees the youngsters practicing fighting moves and skill. At her presence, they slowly stop and stare at her. She looks over them and shakes her head. She spots a patch of ground under a tree and walks over to it. Turning to Willow, She points to the ground there and "Xander, Giles, Faith, ..." She mimes the waking with her fingers and again points to the ground under the tree.

After several attempts, she sees the dawning comprehension in Willow's eyes. She sits and waits as Willow hurries back into the house. She leans back against the tree and, for just a moment, relaxes and leaves behind her worries. The snap of a twig forces her to open her eyes to the intense young woman who was leading the others. She looks at the overconfident person and waits. The woman finally starts speaking, her tone imperious. The lecture drones on, her words completely unknown until she breaks out laughing. The woman finally falls silent as Buffy regains control of herself. "I so needed that. I still have no idea of what you just said so..." She makes a shooing motion.

* * *

Willow leads the others, except for Spike outside into the late afternoon where they find Kennedy trying to order Buffy into the ranks of potentials. When Buffy breaks up laughing, Faith sniggers, Giles wearily shakes his head, Willow sighs wearily and the others stand stunned. And Buffy's words clearly call out the language barrier that exists. The final straw is Buffy shooing her off as Xander, Anya and Dawn start to snicker.

Giles begins to walk over to the two where Kennedy looks like she wants to start something when Faith grabs his arm. "Wait. We need to see if she still has it."

Willow pops up. "Buffy wants to see us. I think she may have some idea on our communication problem. You can see how she does later." She puts on her resolve face and walks to the tree.

Kennedy looks at her and begins "She won't.."

"Not now, Kennedy. Besides, Buffy doesn't answer to you." She sits down beside Buffy ignoring her girlfriend's shock.

The other six take their positions in a circle and wait. Within seconds, Willow looks at Buffy, her eyes going wide. As she opens her mouth to speak, Buffy puts her hand over Willow's mouth. Anya and Giles notice the growing sense of power for Buffy . Dawn and Faith pick it up next, and Xander and Andrew last.

Willow feels Buffy use the power, not wicca or magic as she knows it, to carefully reach inside her mind. She witnesses Buffy sliding for her knowledge of languages and begins to steal, no not steal, copy the knowledge and add something beside it. Within a few minutes and the group looks at Buffy in shock.

She is still staring at Buffy when the blonde asks "Okay, that's out of the way. Now where are we and what's going on?"

Giles speaks first. "Do you remember any of us?" not realizing that he is now speaking a new tongue.

"I used to think that those two were figments of my imagination. Other than that, the Jedi Council tried to mind wipe me about five years ago. There isn't much left. But my records before that don't say much about where I came from or if I even have a family, despite going back another thirty years." Buffy explains to their surprise.

Anya breaks in. "Oh that's because time flows at different speeds in different universes. It's only been not quit two years since you saved the world. And I for one am glad to be living."

Kennedy interrupts "What are you saying? I can't understand a word you're saying."

Buffy grimaces as she switches languages. "We're speaking in galactic standard basic. The language I've used for most of the past thirty five years. And who are you?" The others start as they realize that they've been speaking another language.

"I'm Kennedy. I'm the one in charge of basic training for the potentials. Who are you?"

Xander glares at her. "This is who we've been looking for."

Giles takes over. "Do you believe any of this?"

"It's an explanation. Now if you can explain why I can beat a wookie in arm wrestling and heal so fast with out the force, it'll help your case even more. So, tell me what you think is the truth and I'll with hold judgement for now."

They explain the story of her life as they know it, and when the sun sets and they go inside, the potentials gather around to listen to the stories. Buffy listens and thinks about what they tell her.

* * *

Buffy stands up and heads upstairs as she thinks of the story they've woven. It is consistent among them and doesn't seem rehearsed. As she uses the sink to wash her face, she smirks. "You can come out now." She turns around to see a tall bald man with facial tattoos wearing a dark red tunic and trousers and his lower jaw replaced with gray metal.

The figure speaks "You know that you will lead them to the dark side. Everyone you have ever cared about went over."

"Won't work. First, you're not him, you may have taken his form but you don't have his feel.'

"No, you made sure of that. You ripped my jaw off to teach me the power of the dark side. And then you killed me, old friend."

"Second I'm not her anymore. And if you ever use his form again." She turns and backhands the figure calling on assistance from the force. He steps back, looking impressed. "I actually felt that, Revan." he says, before disappearing. She turns back to the mirror and grips the counter leaving the impressions of her fingers in it.


	2. Chapter 2

Buffy jerks wake, her sweat-covered body the only sign of the nightmares that wracked her sleep. Knowing that she will get no more sleep this night, she slips from the under the covers and walks down stairs and out onto the back porch. Leaning against the railing, she stares into the night sky, ignoring Spike for now.

For his own part, Spike examines her and smiles. "Couldn't sleep?"

"Nope." She breaths in, smelling the night air. "Could you answer a question for me?"

"Fire away, luv."

"What are you?"

He looks at her in surprise. "I thought you knew. I'm a big bad vampire. Least I was till I went and got myself a shiny new soul."

"So how many did you kill before you got it? Give me a guess."

"Call it a hundred and twenty years and at least a hundred a year. More then twelve thou, I'd say."

"So, over twelve thousand at your hands and soul and so little guilt over it." She turns toward him. "You do anything to hurt them" she nods to the house "and I'll show you just how much I can make you suffer. Do you understand me?"

"Loud and clear, slayer."

"I'll give you a chance. Just one."

"You might want to check out your diary. See if you've changed any."

"We'll see." She turns and walks inside.

Just before she enters the house, he calls out to her. "Glad you're back, slayer."

* * *

Willow stumbles down the stairs, her body demanding it's morning wake me up. She walks into the kitchen and pours her morning cup of coffee. A quick glance around and she notices the abandoned beginnings of breakfast. Looking more carefully, she notices the back door is ajar. Cradling the cup in her hands, she walks over and looks out to see Andrew watching something out of view.

Joining him on the porch, she sees Buffy engaged in practicing with two swords, sending them in intricate maneuvers that look lethal as she moves around the yard. As she watches, Andrews ohhhs and ahhs.

After a seemingly short time, Willow takes a drink to discover that her coffee is cold. "Andrew."

He jumps at his name called from beside him."What?"

"Breakfast needs finishing."

"It hasn't been more then a few minutes." He looks inside at the clock. "Or it could have been longer." He rushes inside to try and be ready for the rush of hungry potentials.

As the sounds of Andrew getting back to making breakfast begin to float out the door, Buffy slows her workout and comes to a stop. She looks up at a grinning Willow. "You said you wanted to show me around town to see if anything would jog my memory, right?"

"Um, yeap. After my classes, I thought we'd swing by the places where major badness happened. And a few other places you enjoyed."

"Sounds good. Spike said that I kept a journal. Is that true?" Buffy inspects the swords carefully.

"You did. I remember you writing in it when we livered in the dorms together. It should be in your room still." Willow waits for Buffy to join her. "So why the show this morning?"

"I couldn't sleep. My dreams, my memories won't let me get more then two or three hours. So I came out here to practice without disturbing anyone." As they walk in, Buffy pauses and smells the air. "What's that smell?"

"Andrew is fixing pancakes. Which is a surprise since it's usually everyone for themselves." She turns her head to look at him. "So why the special effort, Andrew?"

"Are you joking? Do you have any idea of what a Jedi is?" He gushes in excitement. "What did the Jedi council want with you, Buffy, er, Alexi? Did you meet Yoda or Obi Wan? Have you ever been to Coruscant?"

Buffy looks at him in surprise. "What do you know of the Jedi? More importantly, where did you hear it?"

Andrew smiles from ear to ear. "Oh this is so cool. We'll have a big night and watch all the Star Wars movies. And you can tell us just how powerful Darth Vader is and how Boba Fett is the coolest bounty hunter ever and..."

"Enough, Andrew." Xander retorts from the entrance to the kitchen. "She has no idea what you're talking about."

"I wouldn't say that. What do you know about Coruscant, Andrew?"

"It's the capital of the old Republic and the Empire. The planet is mostly covered by a single city with the buildings rising for miles above the surface."

"And it has four moons."

"That's right. You do know. Tell me about it, please." Andrew whines as Willow and Xander look on in surprise.

Willow studies Buffy while she watches Andrew is surprise. "I think it might be a good idea. Buffy can tell us if there's any connection to where she was at and we can see what she had to deal with."

Xander gets a goofy grin. "Wait, Buffy, uh, Alexi, you traveled in a starship?"

"I have. Quite a few of them, in fact." She accepts a plate of pancakes, bacon and sausage from Andrew. She takes the plate to the table and begins to eat.

Andrew enters with his own breakfast a few minutes later. "Uh, guys, I didn't make enough for everyone so Alexi, do you have enough?"

"I'm fine. Are these things supposed to be so blah?"

Willow laughs as Xander grabs the bottle of syrup. "The pancakes aren't meant to be plain. That's what the syrup is for." He opens the bottle and pours some onto her pancakes. When he sets the bottle down, Andrew grabs it.

"Much better. Thanks, Xander. Yum, syrupy goodness." Buffy smiles in delight after she swallows the first sweetened bite.

* * *

That afternoon, when Willow returned from her classes, she walks in looking for Buffy, who was watching Kennedy teaching the other potentials how to fight. "Buffy, you ready for the tour?"

"Sure." She stands from her spot under the tree and heads over. "Lets go, Willow."

She looks down at Buffy's weapon belt. "The police frown on people carrying guns around. Better leave them here."

"Right." Buffy removes the holsters and levitates them into the cabinet over the fridge. "Are we ready now?"

"What are those?" Willow points toward the two cylinders hanging on her belt.

Buffy looks around. "Where's that Andrew character at?"

"Did you see his note?" At Buffy's head shake, she finishes. "He dragged Giles off to the grocery store. I haven't seen him this excited in, well, forever."

"Good, lets go before he gets back. He's been following me around everywhere I go."

Willow laughs as they leave the house. "So, how about more sugary goodness then the human body can handle for a start?"

"Sounds good. Lead the way."

"Alright. First stop, the Espresso Pump for mochas. Then we'll drop be the high school. We kind blew up the last one but the hell mouth is still there. We could hit The Bronze tonight. We spent a lot of time there."

"Sounds good. So where to first?"

"I want to visit Tara's grave. And, and you should see your mother's."

"My mom's grave. Wow. I didn't think I'd ever come so close to finding my family. Do you know anything about my family?"

"You do know that Dawn is your sister, right?"

"Are you sure about that? Cause something seems wrong with that."

"That's a long story. We should wait til we get back to talk about it."

"Okay. So who was Tara?"

As they head to the cemetery. Willow tells Buffy the events of the two and a half years of her relationship with Tara. When she gets to Tara's death, Willow breaks down. Buffy takes Willow to a nearby bench and sits down, pulling the distraught woman into her lap and holding her as she unleashes her grief. Finally, after a quarter hour, Willow regains her composure enough to finish her tale.

Buffy listens to her as she recounts her attempt, first to gain revenge and then, to destroy the world in the pain of her grief and rage. "Everyone has the potential to fall. You were trying to break out of the grip of darkness that held you when she was murdered. It took a massive blow to drive you over. And look where you are today. You are among friends, family, people that, for the most part, care about you."

"But I killed him. I ripped his skin off and incinerated what was left. What if I go over the line again? I don't want to hurt them."

"I understand, better then you might think."

"How? You've never killed anyone."

"Maybe not before I left. Since then, I've got more blood on my hands then Spike even. I've killed thousands with my own hands. Millions died at my orders. And I became the worst threat to the Republic before I was dragged kicking and screaming back to the light. I almost destroyed it when I had vowed to protect it or so they tell me."

Willow wipes her eyes. "What do you mean?"

Buffy stands up. "Let's go say hello. Okay?" She reaches toward Willow, her hand stretched out for her to grab.

Willow grabs the proffered hand and stands up. "What do you mean?"

Buffy takes her hand as they begin to walk. "I'll tell you my best guess from the records I've read and the few memories I have from before. After I fell through the portal, some how I lost my memories. I have my suspicions on that but that's for later. So there I was, through the portal and into the Republic. At that time, the Republic was almost twenty thousand years old. It's fleets were unchallenged and it contained hundreds of thousands of member worlds. The last major war had been ten years before my arrival against a Sith empire controlled by Exar Kun. I was taken into the Jedi and trained in the ways of the force."

"What's the force?"

"The force is, as best I can understand, the life force of everything. It connects everything and those that are sensitive to it can use it to in many ways."

"Kinda like magic."

"We talk about the force and magic and their relationship later, kay?"

"Okay."

"Anyway, about twelve years ago, the Mandalorian Clans attacked the Republic. For thirteen years before, they had conquered worlds outside the Republic. They sought out battle for the trill of it. Needless to say, the forces the Republic sent were driven back. The Jedi Council delayed their involvement. They felt that something was behind the Clans and wanted to wait until they knew what it was."

"You couldn't wait. You had to go and protect."

Buffy smiles at this person who knows her so well. "That's right. My best friend Malak and I recruited some of the other Knights and went to war." Buffy trails off, lost in thought. She slowly, hesitantly continues on. "The Jedi Revan became the leader. And when we arrived at the Republic headquarters for the front, we were all given high ranks. Revan was granted the rank of general. The rest varied, but none were less then a lieutenant colonel. Revan quickly gained a reputation for skill at tactics and strategy. Unorthodox maneuvers were a specialty which lead to Revan gaining control of a third of the fleet." Her smile fades and slows her progress.

Willow looks at her in concern. To know that Buffy had fought in a war was surprising. But, still, she's hiding something. "What's wrong?" she asks, her voice full of compassion.

Buffy leans heavily on the tombstone, just now realizing where they are. "I have never been able to tell anyone this. How is it that I can tell you this so easily?"

"We were best friends before you sacrificed yourself for the world. There has always been a connection between us."

She nods in acknowledgment. "I was scouting out the Mandalorian forces in disguise when I was captured." Her voice is low and filled with pain and anger. "I was overconfident. A platoon of Mandalorians swept trough the village I was in and gathered everyone in the town square. The men were sorted and half led away in chains. The women were taken to a barn and, and." She squeezes, her fingers digging into the stone until it gives way. "No woman should go though that." Tears trickle down her face as she looks up at Willow who suddenly starts in understanding. "If I hadn't, they would have killed all the children. Since then, I have avoided contact with men that I could. It was especially bad the first year."

Willow looks at the deeply hurt woman in front of her and embraces her in an effort to comfort her. "I understand, Alexi. But they can't hurt you any more."

"I know." She laughs a bit hysterically. "I made sure of that. I made sure every single one of them died along with their entire clan. Still, out of all the memories they wiped away, why is it that one remains?"

"I don't know. Just let it out. You can tell me." This time Willow holds her as she lets some of the pain go.

After a few minutes, Buffy continues her tale. "Shortly after that, Revan began to wear full robes and a face mask. The war took a more vicious twist as the plans Revan made became more willing to spend the blood of Republic troops. Still, within three years, the Clans had been destroyed as a power and Revan and those of Jedi who followed were considered heros. But Revan and Malak disappeared shortly afterwards. And a year later, they returned at the head of a new fleet and a new army. This time, they attacked the Republic. And they had both fallen to the dark side. And all of the Jedi who went to war save one joined them as dark Jedi. Revan was the Dark lord of the Sith and Malak was the apprentice. And after each battle, they grew closer to conquering the Republic. They drove the Republic back for two years. Somehow, they had a source for all the ships and equipment their forces required. It got so bad that the Jedi Council organized a strike force to board the Sith flag ship in an attempt to capture Revan."

"How powerful was Revan?"

"Revan, The Dark Lord of the Sith, was the most powerful force wielder known in the galaxy."

"What happened to the group that tried to capture him?"

"Apparently, Malak chose that moment to betray his master and take the title of Dark Lord for himself. He ordered his vessel to fire upon Revan's vessel. Revan disappeared that day as did all but one of the team, a Jedi Padawan named Bastilla Shan. Most of the rumors said Revan died."

"How much of this do you actually remember?"

"Bits and pieces. When the Council wiped my mind, they tried to remove most of my memories, leaving only those that they though would be of use in their plan. What I do remember fully, doesn't start until a year after Revan's disappearance. I did, when I had the time and access, do the whole research thing. I wanted to find out about my real past, not the one they made up for me."

They finally arrive at the first grave. "This is where Tara rests." Willow kneels beside it and closes her eyes. Buffy joins her kneeling on the ground and pays her own respects to the deceased. When they both are done, Willow leads the way to Joyce's resting place.

Buffy looks at the grave and reaches out to touch the headstone. She subconsciously reaches out with the force and lifts a small amount of the soil. As she reads the inscription, the soil shifts and spreads into an image of Joyce. Willow feels the trickle of power and turns to witness the subconscious manipulation. "Buf.. Alexi, "

She turns to Willow, her eyebrow quirked in an oh so familiar expression of curiosity. "What..." she trails off as she sees the manifestation. "Who?"

"Mrs. Summers, your mother."

Buffy looks up to Willow's eyes. "My mommy?" her voice child like.

"Yes, that's your mom." Willow watches as Buffy looks back to gaze raptly at the image.

"I really do belong here. This is where I'm from." She stands up and looks around. "This is my home world. Thank you. You have returned a piece of me that I thought lost forever."She takes Willow's hand in hers and then pulls Willow close to her and captures the red head in the circle of her arms. She leans close to Willow's ear and whispers "I really mean it. Thank you for bringing me home."

Willow shivers, Buffy's breath sending her to hints of things never considered. "You're welcome. But I really didn't have a choice."

"Enough emotional trauma and bad memories for now. It's time to try to find some joy in the galaxy. You said something about mochas?" She grins infectiously.

Willow smiles at Buffy, a little worried at the burdens she carries, but grateful that she can both share her burden and take a little of her own. It may not be much, but at least it's a step in the right direction for both of them. "I did. And then I'll show you a scoobies eye view of the town. Both the good and the bad."

"Thank you, padawan."

"What does that mean, anyway?"

"What, padawan? It's a term for the stage between a Jedi apprentice and knight."

"So does that mean that you're going to teach me?"

"If you want to learn what I have to teach. And as I told a friend once, if you feel yourself slipping to the dark side, ask me and if I find myself slipping, I'll come to you for help."

"So I could be a Jedi, huh? Who else?" Her smiles lights her elfin features.

"Giles has the potential. As for the rest, I'd have to check each one."

* * *

Willow sits on the couch, her feet curled beside her as Andrew and Buffy talk in the kitchen. Even with all the potentials, she can hear him fawning all over her. Giles takes the seat near her and leans back. "No luck?"

"Nothing. And Andrew insists on fixing Buf.. Alexi all of her favorites and a selection of foods from around the world.."

"So that's why he drug you out." She giggles for a moment. "Giles?" her voice serious.

"Yes Willow." He looks at her.

"She told me a bit of her past. What happened before most of her memories were taken, and a few memories that she kept. It hasn't been easy for her. The things she got involved in. Mainly, she just gave me a history lesson."

"Oh? What can you tell me?" He starts to stand when Willow points to the end table. He looks to spy a pad of paper and a pen rest on the lower shelf. Willow leans back and recounts the tale as Buffy told, only avoiding her capture.

Giles looks from his notes afterwards and leans back. "That's a surprise. I never expected her to be involved in a war. What rank did she have?"

Buffy walks in with a plate of pasta in each hand. She hands Willow one and sits beside her. "See you told Giles. So what do you think, historian?"

"Fascinating. Are you sure that this Republic of yours is as old as you say?"

"I've learned some of the history, there. I'm sure. And some of the things I've seen are older yet. Besides, humanity alone has a history five times as long that's known, even if a lot of it is all hints and pieces in the earlier millennium." She takes a bite and chews, sighing in pleasure as she swallows the morsel. "By the way, what did you do with the clothes I was wearing?"

"We bundled them up and put them in the laundry. Why?" Willow answers, confused.

"I should go through them. Was there a backpack?"

"I don't remember one. But after you appeared, we kinda got carried away worrying about you."

Andrew enters and sets a tray with desert and beverage on the coffee table in front of Buffy and then walks to the television and inserts a video. "I hope you don't mind, but I thought we'd get a start on the movies." He starts the movie playing and goes to retrieve his own dinner.

As the movie Star Wars plays on the screen, Buffy glances around at the gathered potentials and sees one with a little confusion on her face. She reaches out with the force, and snorts in amusement. Ignoring everyone's glares, she harvests the girl's native language and plants the seeds of English beside it. Chao Ahn looks up as the movie suddenly becomes understandable to her and looks at Buffy who smiles at her and nods at the film.

* * *

When the movie ends, Andrew turns to Buffy. "So how does that compare to the Jedi you know?"

Buffy laughs, a deep humor filled laugh. When she recovers enough, she answers him, through her giggles. "Most padawans can do what they did."

The ringing of Willow's cell phone interrupts. Willow digs it out and checks the message. "It's a message from Xander. It's one of our signals.

The potential Amanda frowns as she queries "Signal?"

Willow explains as she starts to look worried. "Yeah, the system we set up a while back. Like codes. Uh, this one's either I just got lucky, don't call me for a while or my date's a demon who's trying to kill me."

Kennedy looks at her and asks "You don't remember which?" her voice carries just a hint of condescension. Buffy narrows her eyes slightly.

Willow shakes her head. "It was a long time ago. "

Dawn "Well, if we play the percentages..".

Giles worriedly "Something's eating Xander's head."

Buffy snaps out a single word "Where?" as she retrieves her weapons belt.

Willow gathers her ingredients and a map.

* * *

The door explodes, sending fragments flying into the far wall. Xander and his date look over, startled. The first thing through the door is the a tip of silverish cyan that lengthens rapidly until Buffy strides through the door, the weapon in her right hand on guard. As Xander's date recovers from her surprise and attempts to stab upwards with the knife, she suddenly finds herself flung into the nearest wall. Willow, Faith and Principal Wood follow her in. As the demon woman forces herself to her feet, staring at the lightsaber, Buffy smiles grimly and suddenly, the woman's head twists rapidly, the crunch of her neck breaking muffled against still falling remains of the door piling against the wall.

"Are you injured, Xander?" Buffy asks as she carefully scans the room. Seeing and sensing nothing, she turns to him, extinguishing her blade.

"Embarrassed but uninjured." He winces. "A little sore, though."

"We'll have you down in a minute." Willow rushes to him.

Faith grabs the knife and cuts Xander loose as Willow and Wood support him. As the group walks out th e door, they pass by the stitched together pink skinned remains of Xander's date.

As they leave the room, Xander notices the scattered remains of three bringers. "What happened here?"

"B showed us what she's got. All it took was one swipe from her laser sword." Faith looks at Buffy and the cylinder in her hand. "Damn, B, I got to get me one of those."

"You want to learn how to use a lightsaber? Then you can join my apprentice there." She nods to Willow. "Just don't tell Andrew. Now, who wants to take me to where you summoned me back? I need to see if my pack came through."

Xander and Willow look at each other and then at Faith. "We'll go now." Willow says.

* * *

At the house, Dawn opens the front door and stands aside as the four enter as Anya and Andrew wait on the couch and Giles standing nearby.

Willow leads Xander into the house, his ripped and torn shirt hanging on him. Faith and Buffy enter last, Buffy carrying a stained pack over one shoulder.

Dawn shrieks "What happened?"

Xander chuckles grimly. "What do you think happened? Another demon woman was attracted to me. I'm going gay. I've decided I'm turning gay. Willow, gay me up. Come on, let's gay."

Willow"s cheek glow with embarrassment "What?"

Xander nods his head. "You heard me. Just tell me what to do. I'm mentally undressing Scott Bakula right now. That's a start, isn't it?"

Andrew nods wistfully. "Captain Archer..."

"Come on, let's get this gay show on the gay road. Help me out here."

Faith sniggers. "What if you just start attracting male demons?"

Dawn giggles. "Clem always liked you."

Anya pouts "It would serve you right."

Giles raises his voice. "Children, enough."

Xander ignores him and continues "I'd need some stylish new clothes."

Giles yells out " Enough! Have you learned nothing from tonight's assorted chaos? There isn't

time for fun and games and quips about orientation." He holds up flashcards and shakes them. "These - these aren't a joke." He flips through the cards" "This - this happens. Girls are going to die. We may die. It's time to get serious."

Faith sits down. "First, B here needs to tell us how she got her hands on that light saber she always carries. And if the other thing is one too, I want one."

Buffy calmly looks at her. "I told Willow. She told Giles. He can tell the rest of you. As for this..." She reaches down and takes the light saber in hand. "And this" she grabs the other one with her left hand."I was a Jedi. I left the order because of what they did to me." She looks at Giles and Andrew. She ignites the two blades, the one in her right hand casting it's silver cyan radiance and the other shorter one blazes with it's yellow center and red outer layer. She turns to Faith. "These are the symbols of a both the Jedi and the Sith. You want one, then become either one. Until then, don't touch. I care two because I am a Jar'Kai master." she extinguishes the blades and replaces them as she walks to the base of the stairs before turning to Willow. "We begin your training tomorrow after your classes are over. Giles, if you want to, I can teach you to use the force also. The rest of you, I can teach you the physical skills if you want to learn. Faith, if you every want to use a light saber, start practicing with a sword."

The sound of clapping draws their attention. "Very good, Alexi, or should I say..." Buffy coldly glares at the figure from the night before. The others wonder just who it is that she reacts so.

"Still taking his form, I see. No one else to torment me with?"

"How else would I greet my old friend." He rubs his metal jaw. "It's not like I can forget."

Buffy sighs heavily. "Everyone say hi to the first as Malak. He was once my friend. At least until he tried to kill me that is and turned a friend of mine to the dark side."

"What can I say? Good apprentices are so hard to find." He turns to Willow and calmly appraises her. "But you seem to have found yet another one. And she already carries the taint."

"She will follow her own path, not the one I decide for her. And maybe, she can learn what no other has." Buffy slowly walks towards him, her lips twisting into a deadly smirk, lethal and playful at the same time.

Xander gulps nervously as he watches Buffy draw back her hand.

Willow shivers as she feels the power Buffy concentrates into her hand.

Faith jumps as Buffy slaps the first, her eyes barely able to see the strike despite knowing it was coming.

They look on in surprise as the First rubs it's cheek. "That was a mistake, little girl." The first growls out, it's anger revealed for all before it disappears.


	3. Day 3

Willow tosses and turns as the images fly by. A ship shaped like a great lobster claw raining red bolts into the city covering most of the planet below. A woman in brown chained to a table, her back arched in agony as she screams while black lightning dances over her. A world surrounded by starships, each desperately trying to flee as the world pulses and shrinks drawing them back and ever closer. A chamber walled with tanks, each holding someone known, trapped between life and death, their very essence being sucked out to empower a man in red with a metal jaw, the one facing her with a red light saber. The same man, chained to a steel table, a red light saber being used to slowly burn his lower jaw away. Three people with light sabers confronting her and behind them through the window, missiles fly toward her, fired from a nearby lobster claw ship.

Willow sits upright, her cries awakening the others in the room. Wildly looking around, desperately looking for something but not knowing what.

Kennedy grabs her, trying to comfort her as the other potentials wonder what is going on. "It's all right. Everything's all right, you're not slipping back."

Willow pushes her away. "It wasn't mine." She repeats the words once, twice, and a third time before a soft knock at the door draws their attention. Willow disengages from Kennedy and makes her way to the door and opens it to reveal a pajama clad Buffy.

"I heard you. What to talk about it?" Buffy asks.

"Sure, just a second." Willow grabs a robe from the closet and joins Buffy. When Kennedy makes a move to join them, Willow thinks back briefly to the dreams and shakes her head. "You should stay here."

"But I want to know what's bothering you."

Buffy smiles sadly. "They're not her's, they're mine."

"Oh."

**BtVS**

Before they go downstairs to the kitchen, Buffy grabs her pack. There, they sit to the counter, silent for a moment. Buffy suddenly stands up and steps to the back door and looks out. "We should wait for Xander to get here before we talk about the dreams."

"He's seeing them too?"

"Not as much or as intensely as you. But, yeah." She shrugs her shoulders. "So until he gets here, do you have any questions about your training?"

"Lot's. I just don't know where to begin."

"First of all, I don't consider myself to be a Jedi. I am not training you to be a Jedi. If anything, they would consider you to be a Sith or a dark tainted adept. If you need a title, consider yourself in training to be a gray Sith."

"You're gonna make me a Sith? But, but I don't wanna be all dark and veiny again."

"You won't be all dark and veiny. How'd that happen, anyway?"

"Before Tara died, I dove deep into the black magic, she warned me and refused to let me drag her down. It was my desire, my need to be with her that I used to break free of them. But when she died, it hurt so much, I just wanted the pain to go away. So I dove in. After I was dragged back, Giles took me to England where the coven helped me learn the proper way to use magic."

"Then we'll focus on the light side and slowly explore the rest of it as we build your defenses and your control. You'll learn how to channel you emotions and not suppress them. And in time, you will use your exposure to the darkside to be able to use both sides of the force."

"Both sides? Is that even possible?"

"It's the path I walk." She grabs Willow's hand. "You can follow a similar path, neither truly a Sith or Jedi. You are the only one on this world capable." She smiles.

"Do you think I can do it?"

"If I didn't, I wouldn't have mentioned the possibility. It's not an easy journey, but I believe you can do it."

"Do what?" Xander's voice from the door starts Willow.

"Just telling her a little about her training."

"Yeah, so what's up with that? Can I be a Jedi?"

"The only ones here with enough potential for me are Willow here, Giles and Anya. Others might take Dawn or Faith on but they're at the bottom for becoming Jedi. You and everyone else here, I can teach you some of the combat skills, but you don't have any force sensitivity. After all, Jedi used swords before light sabers came along. I can also teach you some techniques to resist the force being used against you."

"I see." Xander sits down beside Willow. "I have a question. How old are you?"

"My best guess, fifty five or so. You say I was twenty when I left and I spent about thirty five years there."

"So why don't you look it. Have they halted aging? "

"No, they haven't. As for me, no one has any idea of why I haven't aged since I showed up. Another mystery about me. I guess is it has something to do with me being a slayer. Let's see, enhanced strength, stamina, speed and healing. That it?"

"There's the prophetic dreams and the ability to detect vampires." Willow chips in.

Xander gets up and starts a pot of coffee going. "According to Giles, no slayer ever made to their twenty fifth birthday." He looks up and smiles. "Congrats, Buf.. Alexi. You've made the record books, forty years as a slayer, wow!" He sits back down and turns to face her across the counter. So, what about these dreams?"

"They're not so much dreams as memories. I have a bond in the force with both of you."

"And these bonds show us your memories?"

"And your's to me, especially the ones with strong emotions. I can teach you how to muffle them, maybe even silence them when you want. But it will take time."

"What did we see? Who were those people?" Willow inquires.

"You both saw the ship firing at the city on the planet below?" At both of their nods, she continues. "The ship was the Leviathan, Malak's flagship. The event is the destruction of the world of Taris. I was on the planet with several others." Buffy opens her pack and removes an item. She manipulates it to produce holographic images. One image of a woman, brunette with grey eyes and a long light saber. "Bastilla Shan." A man in an orange jacket, twin pistols holstered on his thighs. "Carth Onasi." A young blue skinned female Twilek, her twin leccu wraped around her neck. "Mission Viao." A wookie. "Zaalbar." Another man, muscular and grey haired and armed with a large weapon. "Canderous of Clan Ordo." A robot, disc shaped head unit and two side legs with forming a tripodal design with the main body. "T3 M4 an astromech droid. We stole a small freighter from the local Exchange boss and slipped through the blockade. As we destroyed the fighters dispatched to stop us, the fleet was bombarding the planet. The planet was effectively destroyed. The cries of the dying rang through the force. I imagine that Alderaan would be easier to bear. It happened much quicker for them."

"Anything else you want to tell us, Alexi, or should I say Revan?"

Willow looks at him in surprise. "What do you mean? That's Buffy, not that butcher!"

Buffy just looks sadly at him. "When did you figure it out?"

Willow spins around in shock and stares at her. "What?"

Xander nods his head in acceptance. "After you went upstairs last night, Giles went over your story. I noticed you never gave any hint to Revan's sex or any details of what you did. You spoke a lot about Revan and very little about yourself. Then there was the first's comment about what to call you."

"It's not something I'm proud of but it is my past. I had one friend and years of being told that a Jedi should have no emotions, no ties. When the Mandalorians invaded, the Jedi Council was worried about the threat behind them that they ignored the one chopping up the Republic. I started looking into the future and saw the possibilities. If the Republic and the Jedi were to survive, then drastic action needed to be taken. I had to go over to the dark side. I saw no other chance and I looked hard for one. The Mandalorians would have weakened the Republic to much without Jedi support for them to resist the true Sith waiting in the outer Rim."

"You went to the dark side to save people? Not what I expected." Xander shakes his head. This is a lot to take in and without much sleep."

"Just, let the rest figure it out on their own, please." Buffy begs the two. "Why don't both of you go back to bed. I won't be getting any more sleep tonight anyway. I need to meditate."

**BtVS**

Willow sits and stares into the distance as she sits waiting for Giles to meet her for lunch, thinking on Buffy's comments about being able to use both sides of the force when a cough draws her back to awareness. She looks at Giles sitting on the bench next to her and smiles. "Hey Giles. Ready for lunch?"

"I am. It's a pleasure to get away from them." They stand and chat about little things until they reach the dinner.

After ordering, Willow looks at him and finally asks the question on her mind. "Are you going to take Buffy up on her offer?"

"I don't know. While it sounds intriguing, there are younger candidates who would do just as well."

"Nope. The only ones she considers to have enough potential for her efforts are us and Anya. Faith and Dawn are kinda bottom of the barrel for training. And no one else is even force sensitive. They can learn how to fight and resist the force being used against them."

"Just the three of us? That puts a different light on things." He studies her carefully. Her nervous behavior tells him that something else is bothering her. "What else?"

"She's gonna train me, but not to be a Jedi. She said I would be a gray Sith."

"Good Lord, a Sith! What is she thinking?" Giles removes his glasses and begins to polish them.

"She told me that I, out of everybody on Earth, could learn to use both sides like she does." Willow weakly says.

Giles freezes. Seconds pass before he carefully replaces his glasses. "Both sides?" He squeaks, thinking back to what little he knows about the force and it's similarities to magic. In fact, given Buffy's comments, maybe the Force was the equivalent to the forces called on through magic. Suddenly, Giles looks up as he connects the dots, so to speak. "Willow, what do you know about the force?"

"It's like the life force of the universe. It connects everything and everyone. At least that's how it's described in the movies and by her. Why?" Willow inquires, now curious.

"From your experiences, you know that magic also has a light and a dark side. It, however, seems directionless. How often do they talk about the will of the force? What if the magic field where she was at gained a will rather then the various entities and gods we have here?" Giles suddenly falls silent as their lunch is brought. Once the waitress has left, he continues. "There are at most a half dozen mages and witches that have managed to tap both the light and dark. These people were virtually unstoppable and did things no others even dreamed of. Merlin is considered to be the last and least powerful of them and even that is questionable. Both the destruction of Atlantis and the banishing of the true demons from this world are attributed to two of these legendary sorcerers. Until now, I always considered them to be high ranked demons or celestials, or perhaps even one of the Powers That Be manifesting here on Earth." He sighs and takes a drink.

"You mean she thinks that I could learn to do stuff like that?" Willow nervously wrings her napkin.

"If she does and you do, then I have a duty to be there to make sure she knows what she's talking about and to help keep you from slipping back into the dark magics." He looks at her. "If what she has said is true, then Buffy could destroy the human race by herself. And if that is true, we must strive to ensure that she remain on our side in this war."

**BtVS**

Xander walks in the front door, planning his late lunch and hoping for a chance to talk to Buffy. Spying Buffy sitting in the dining room going through the contents of her belt, pack and the remains of her cloths, he pulls out a chair and sits beside her. "So what ya doing, Lexi?"

"Inventorying my stuff. Wanna help?"

"How can I refuse such an offer? What do you want me to do?'

"I'll call out what I've got, you write it down. And don't let anyone mess with anything. I've got some rather dangerous stuff here." She turns to the kitchen and calls out "Hey Andrew, add another for lunch."

"Yes, my master." He calls back.

Buffy wearily shakes her head. She looks up to see a grinning Xander. "He's been saying that all morning. What's with it anyway?"

"That's how Darth Vader addressed his master, the Emperor. So any news on where you fit into the Star Wars time line?" He takes a pad and pencil and starts listing as Buffy calls out the items.

"Three spare power packs for the blasters. Two blaster pistols, each about half charged. Exar Kun lived about 4000 years before the Death Star went kablooie. Three thermal detonators. Two ionic grenades. Seven frag grenades."

"Four thousand years? Wow that's a long..." He looks up at her in surprise. "Thermal detonators? Where?"

Buffy points out three black spheres with a silver band around them and controls at one end. "Six mines, two plasma, three flash and one frag. One breather mask, a hundred meters of climb cord with grappling hook, a holocam and a deluxe model personal com unit." She sets the weapon's belt to the side and around the items and pulls up the robes they found her in, running her hands in the pockets and inside the sleeves. She builds a small pile of objects on the table. 'A personal shields with a single use left, two med kits and a crystal I found."

Xander's stomach growls, causing Buffy to look up at him and smile. He grins and stands up and joins Andrew in the kitchen, Buffy following him in.

As they eat, Kennedy leads the potentials in for a break. Spying the equipment on the table, she walks over to look at it. Buffy notices her reaching down and picking up one of the black spheres. She calls out "Would you put that back?"

Kennedy smirks and starts tossing it from hand to hand. "Why, afraid of a toy like this?"

"Put down the thermal detonator, Kennedy." Xander and Andrew drop their forks at Buffy's words.

Xander rushes back. "Be careful with that thing. Do you want to kill everyone here?" He grabs the item and carefully replaces it. As the potentials still present look on, he continues. "Don't you know any better that to mess with something you don't recognize, especially Alexi's stuff. Those things are dangerous."

"Well if you told us what it was..." she begins before Andrew of all people cuts her off.

"It's a really powerful grenade. One of them could destroy everybody in these rooms."

Buffy calls from the kitchen, "These rooms, ha. It's got enough power to blow up the house."

Kennedy looks at the small innocent looking object. "You still should have told me."

"I didn't know about them until a few minutes ago. That still doesn't excuse your actions. If you don't recognize it, assume that it might be dangerous. And Alexi," Xander turns to her and glares "why didn't you stop her?"

"She wouldn't listen. Besides" she reaches into a pocket and pulls several items out. "I pulled the arming circuits and pocketed them."

Xander sits heavily. He turns to look at her. "You are an evil person."

"Nope. Semi-reformed big bad, yes. Besides that girl has an ego problem." She starts laughing. Keeping her giggles under control, she asks "got time for a story?"

"Let's see. Listen to a story or eat in silence. No question. Tell me your story." He grins back.

She smiles. "Andrew, get your camera ready." waiting until he sits facing her and starts to record. She grabs the holocam and activates it. The picture shows an old man, dark skin and bald. "Jolee Bindo told me this story from his youth. He was traveling with another Jedi named Andor Vex. Andor had a destiny in front of him. But he believed in it a bit to much and that overconfidence came back to bite him. The ship they were in was captured by a Dimean warship controlled by their overlord, a big man named Kraat. He had them taken to the bridge for questioning.

Andor decided that his destiny made him invulnerable or something, so he started making all kinds of demands. Apparently, Kraat got ticked off so he grabbed Andor by the throat and squeezed. Eventually, he got tired of it so he tossed Andor into a giant energy intake nearby.

Well, he got sucked in and bounced around screaming. The next thing Jolee knew was all the ship's alarms were going off and he ran. Got off the ship just in time to. Kraat didn't and the Dimean ship blew. They never recovered from that and the political course of the sector changed. How's that for a destiny?" She smiles as Xander fights to keep a grin from his face.

"So he pissed off the bad guy and died blowing up a ship and that was his destiny?" Xander chuckles.

"Basically, yeah." Her eyes light with humor as she looks at the gathered potentials. "Just remember, destiny doesn't care if you are remembered or live very long. There were a dozen ways Andor could have achieved that same result without his own death. That happened because of his own arrogance, Kennedy." She looks at the potential who looks away.

**BtVS**

Giles and Willow sit on the back porch stairs. Dawn, Xander and Andrew sit on the ground before them as they listen to Buffy begin her first lesson. Faith and the potentials quietly practice. Anya and Spike listen from inside the house. "First off, I said I'd teach you the physical skills if you want to learn. Physical fitness, styles of combat and how to resist the force. It's not an immunity to force effects, it just makes you as an individual harder to affect."

Andrew raises his hand. "Are you going to teach us the ways of the force?"

"No. Most of you don't have the capacity to use the force. Dawn and Faith are just barely there. If I were desperate or needed numbers, they'd do. Anya has the capacity but I don't have the patience to deal with her. Giles, I can teach and Willow will learn."

Faith and Dawn look surprised. Dawn raises her hand. "Andrew said that the force ability tends to follow family lines? Why don't I have enough power?"

"It can follow family lines. But even then, strength in the force can vary wildly even among siblings. Besides, I suspect being a slayer gives Faith and me more ability then if we weren't."

Giles clears his throat before he asks. "Just what experience do you have in teaching or learning about the force?"

"You want to know about me? How keen. Alright then, my experiences that I remember. I was trained by the Jedi at an accelerated rate, in weeks rather then years. I also infiltrated a Sith academy disguised as a student. As for my instruction..." She looks at the group one by one. "I will use lessons from both sides but mainly as the Jedi teach. Each has some good ideas and some bad."

"What about, you know, personal involvement with other people?" Willow inquires.

"Most Jedi and Sith discourage emotional entanglements. There are no set rules but the Jedi council has become more discouraging in my lifetime. This despite just decades ago accepting married Jedi openly such as Andur Sunrider. He joined the order and was trained while he was married. In fact, his daughter was born about the time he finished his training and his wife, Nomi, trained after his death and is a Jedi master. Apparently, in time they will forbid any Jedi from marrying but I've met a few who were openly married. The Sith, however, believe they make one weak. And since the Sith get ahead on assassination and murder." She shrugs her shoulders.

Giles looks interested. "Could you tell us why their views are shifting?"

"A growing segment among the Jedi feels that such ties increase one's danger of falling to the dark side. But I have used my friendship to pull someone back to the light side, so it's not a simple issue. I think it's the hardening of tradition into law. Easier to have a chasm then a grey area." She takes a step back. "If you want to learn how to fight, then stand up when I call next and I'll see what kind of work we have to do. Willow, you're up."

For the next two hours, Buffy works Willow, Giles, Xander, Dawn and Andrew until they each collapse in turn, exhausted, while she seems unphased. Faith sits down tired, the potentials sent inside an hour before to rest, after they all tried to keep up with Buffy. "Hey, B. Don't you ever get tired?"

She turns to Faith and smirks, for an instant the old Buffy before shifting back. "Getting soft in your old age, F. Willow, Giles, after dinner, we'll take a walk and continue your lessons."

**BtVS**

They walk slowly along the streets, Buffy and Willow side by side and Giles following close beside. Buffy reaches out and takes Willow's hand and lightly holds it.

Willow asks the question that's been on her mind since lunch. "You said I could learn to use the whole force. What did you mean?"

Buffy stops the group and turns so both her companions can see her clearly while releasing Willow's hand. "The Jedi and Sith both call on part of the force. Neither can see the full spectrum. The Jedi call on the light." She holds out her left hand and focuses. In seconds, a small ball of light manifests and both Giles and Willow can feel the power contained. "The Sith call on the dark." She extends her right hand and focuses and a ball of darkness appears. Giles starts as an equal amount of power is harnessed. "I have never heard of anyone else who can call on the whole force." She brings her hands together and merges the two globes. The new ball is a little larger and shot through with gold with faint black and white streaks. Willow and Giles step back as the power contained in Buffy's hands jumps dramatically. "It's not an easy thing to learn. In fact, it's one of the most difficult things I've ever done."

Giles exhales as he realizes he was holding his breath. "Dear lord. You weren't lying about it."

Willow gasps softly at the demonstration. "That's impossible."

Buffy smiles gently. "It's all to possible. And it's the kind of power that can hurt the first." She turns and takes Willow's hand again. As they begin their stroll, Buffy begins her lecture.

**BtVS**

Giles steps outside onto and steps to the railing. Leaning there, enjoying the night air and the silence, he notices Buffy in the corner of the porch. "Hello, Alexi."

She opens her eyes and glances over. "Hi."

"What did you think of the movie?"

"Yoda, at least, is closer to a true Jedi in strength, from what's shown. Same all knowing act but at least he knows how to use the force."

A few moments of quiet before Giles works up his courage. "You seem disturbed."

She turns to face him. "You mean I'm not all calm and one with the force." He nods. "I have the skills and knowledge of a master, but my mental stability isn't what it should be." She turns back and leans on the rail. "When the council screwed with my mind, they unknowingly set up a time bomb. I can feel myself slowly slipping back down. They destroyed my balance and I can't find it."

"Is there anything I can do?"

"When I was here, was I able to balance myself?"

"There were times, yes. You were quite good at it in the last years you were here."

"How does Dawn fit in. Every time I'm around her, I can feel my balance swinging." Giles tells her how she came to be Buffy's sister. "Do you think those monks completely rewrote our memories or did they just lock them away?"

"I wouldn't know. It would be easier to lock them away and then rewrite the ones we remember. That way, they could refer back to the originals if there was a need."

He clears his throat and then listens as she speaks the words of the Sith code. "Peace is a lie, there is only passion. Through passion I gain strength. Strength gives me power. Through power I achieve victory. Through victory my chains are broken. The Force shall set me free... Ironic isn't it, the Jedi council made me a tool to stop the war and they made me into something that breaks their rules, someone that has no peace."

"I would say so."

"Giles?"

"Yes?"

"Before I came back, I was well on my way to being the Dark Lord of the Sith once more. But the more time I spend with Willow, the easier I find it to resist the call of the dark side. Xander helps a little but she is the one that could pull me back to the light and hold me there."

"But the only Dark lord you mentioned was this Revan. How could you... Oh. You were Revan." He removes his glasses and begins to polish them.

"You're the third person to figure it out so far. Let the others figure it out on their own."

"Very well, Alexi. Goodnight."

"Goodnight."


	4. Chapter 4

Willow pauses on her way back to bed after waking with a full bladder. As Buffy's memories begin to churn through the link they share, Willow changes direction and enters the room where she lies sleeping. As Buffy begins to softly moan, she sits on the bed beside her. Reaching out, she takes her hand in her own and watches as the blonde's face begins to relax and she feels the stirring memories begin to ease through their link. Realizing that her touch is easing her friend's nightmares, Willow pulls down the covers and slides in beside her, swiftly joining Buffy in slumber.

* * *

Buffy slowly wakes to the morning sun shining in her face, her body well rested and warm for a change. As she becomes aware of the hand wrapped around hers and the body pressed before her, it's heat warm through her pajamas. As she opens her eyes, she freezes as she looks at the red hair in front of her and the feel of her hand against the girl's stomach, her mind trying to figure out just how she got there. A soft groan cuts through the images floating through her mind as the hair's owner flashes clearly in her mind, Willow. She holds the hand tenderly, unwilling to let go of it until the sound of Willow's breathing begins to speed toward wakefulness.

* * *

Willow slowly awakens, her dreams filled with things and places that are both wondrous and strange. As she groggily looks around the unfamiliar room until she recognizes it as where Buffy has been sleeping. With her growing awareness, she becomes aware of the arm holding her back against "Buffy? Uh, Alexi?"

"Good morning, Willow." She just lays there, enjoy the morning and the presence of this dazzling and yet still deeply hurt young woman beside her for a while.

After a minute, Willow frees her self and leaves the bed. Pausing at the door, she glances back at Buffy, her expression just a little bit confused, before she returns to her own room. Gathering her clothes for the day, she makes her way to the empty bathroom and begins to shower. As the warm water runs, she thinks back to the morning. "What's going on? I have a girlfriend that cares for me?"

Willow's inner voice, once long buried now raises it silken voice. "What do you want to be going on? And is Kennedy really our girlfriend? Does she really care about us or is it all about our power or that we have a bed?"

"Why am I even thinking about this? I can't, she's not that way."

"If you believe that after her story,,," The voice trails off.

* * *

Buffy looks up from the remnants of her breakfast as Willow walks in and sits down across the table from her. "Hey Will." she pauses and carefully studies the woman before her, the one who shared a bed and may have given her, her first peaceful nights sleep in nearly five years. "What gave you the idea?"

Willow finds herself feeling warm as Buffy examines her. As she begins to ask if there's something on her face, Buffy asks her question. She freezes, her mouth open as the thoughts rush through her mind before she drags herself back to the table. "I was heading back to bed when I felt your dreams start to turn bad so I checked in on you. And all I did was touch you and, poof, your memories began to ease off. I guess I just decided to join you then."

"Thank you. I haven't felt this good in years. After I discovered who I had been and the pieces of memories started to return, I slept a little less each night. Every since then, I've slowly been losing my mind. Until today. It's a wonderful feeling to be able to pull away from the abyss, even a little bit. It gives me a glimmer of hope."

Willow smiles at her positive attitude and then realizes how little positive stuff there is for her to feel good about. And while Buffy is in a good mood, she asks "What's happening today?"

"Today's Saturday, which means no classes for you, right." She looks to Willow for confirmation. This morning, we'll work on your conditioning for an hour and then I'll start demonstrating the seven standard forms of light saber combat until lunch time. After lunch, we'll find out just where the rest of Giles' and your skills are at. Then, we'll focus on some basic skills for an hour or so, including the healing trance." Buffy studies the red head carefully. "You're worried."

Willow grimaces and nods her head. "I am. What if I go all dark and veiny again?"

"If I see you slipping to the dark side, I tell you. I'll help you avoid that trap as best I can. But you have to face the dark side head to head and confront your fears. I can stand beside you every step of the way but you will make the effort. I'll show you what I can and you'll show me how the force differs between here and there. It's not going to be easy but you have people that care about you here, friends and..." She pauses and considers her for a second. "Your parents don't pay much attention to you, do they?"

"No they don't." she pauses, struck by a thought. "But how do you know that?"

"I'm not sure. There are bits and pieces that come into focus for a while before they fade away."

"I could try a spell. I mean, there was a day before you jumped, that you went catatonic and I had to go into your mind to help you get free."

Buffy leans back. "Maybe tonight after your studies. And I have to write what I can remember. Theories and philosophies on the nature of the force. At least the ones that won't hinder you later." She turns to the window and looks out. "Tomorrow, we can do something fun."

* * *

An hour and a half later, as Buffy's five students, Willow, Xander, Giles, Andrew and Dawn, wearily go through their final individual exercises, warming and easing highly stressed muscles as Faith and the potentials watch rom their own training

Xander looks over to Buffy as he eases to the ground. He thinks back to the seven light saber forms and Buffy's descriptions of them and their strengths and weaknesses. "When will we begin to use those?" he gestures towards the twin light sabers at her belt.

"When I have determined that you can use them with minimal risk of hurting yourself. When that happens, I'll set them to a practice level and continue your training. Don't expect it for months though. Until then, a sword or blaster will be your weapon. But I will let you try every form, even the double blade and my own, Jar'Kai, the wielding of two sabers." She takes her sabers and twists the bottom ring of each in turn. As she does so, three claws spring up and spin slightly. Taking both sabers, she brings the pommels together and then seals the rings again, locking the blades into a single unit.

Andrew stares at the structure in rapt amazement as Buffy activates the twin blades. "A saber staff." he exclaims.

She looks to Willow and Giles. "The light saber is the symbol, and both offense and defense to a Jedi or Sith. Of course, the first knows this as well, don't you?" She turns to look at an empty spot in the yard.

A bald headed man in red robes and the artificial jaw fades into view and glares at the group before he speaks. "I do indeed, master." He bows to Buffy mockingly. "After all, master, you instructed me very well, at least until I took my rightful place, Revan. But you wouldn't know that now." He walks up to the group and studies each in turn.

As the rest of the potentials begin to panic and pull away from the shade, Kennedy steps forward and crosses her arms.

The image looks at her for a long moment. Finally, he steps in front of Willow. "This one is a good choice indeed, master. Such darkness she contains within her. She will make a fine apprentice, as long as she knows her place. I learned that lesson." He reaches up and takes the cybernetic chin and removes it, revealing that his lower jaw is missing. From the hinge of the jaw to the top of the neck, there is nothing save for some healed skin and a green jewel-like implant.

Buffy wearily sits down. "What do you want this time?"

He slowly replaces the attachment as the gathering group looks on in shock. "Why, Revan, what did I always want?"

"After our fall, you wanted to rule and smashed anyone who stood in your way. You slaughtered worlds in your madness, Malak. I should have killed you after you destroyed Telos. But I though losing your jaw was warning enough." Buffy strides up to the shade of Malak, her fury rolling off her in waves as she opens herself to the force. "And then you ordered your ship to fire on mine when you took over, coward. And when I finally killed you, you whined about how it should have been you from the first and how everything was my fault with your dying breath." She glowers at him and like a striking serpent, her right hand flashes out and through the apparition.

He backs off and rubs his chin. "Each time you do that, I can feel it a little more. You are rapidly becoming a nuisance." The figure shifts into an armored warrior dripping blood from the many burns and injuries. A half dozen scorched holes mark the metallic plates. "Then again, you have left rivers of blood behind you." The figure fades away.

Andrew's jaw hits the floor as realization shouts in his brain. Faith leans heavily as she suddenly feels weak. Kennedy smirks as she comments "Not so happy now, miss high and mighty."

Buffy spins and glares at her. Kennedy steps back at the promise of pain in Buffy's eyes and trips and falls on her ass. Suddenly, she finds herself flying trough the air until she smashes into a branch. Buffy turns and runs out of the backyard, the anger rolling off her as the rest of them begin wonder how to get Kennedy out of the tree.

* * *

A half hour later, as the scoobies and the potentials begin to discuss, argue about, what happened, the potentials beginning to demand to know what's going on and the scoobies trying to explain against the uproar. Willow notices Faith slipping off and follows her. She follows the slayer to the back porch and joins her against the railing.

As they watch the peaceful yard, Faith quietly asks "Did you know?"

"Yes."

"When did you?"

"Early yesterday morning. Somehow Xander and I shared her nightmares. He asked her about it."

After a moment of silence, Faith asks "Is it true? Was she Revan?"

"Do you mean Revan, dark lord of the Sith, or Revan, savior of the Republic? They were both her, before the council tried to wipe her mind and rebuild her to their needs. Then it was Alexi Rose, their tool. Now, she needs our help."

Faith laughs harshly as the arguments drift from inside the house. "No kidding, Red. How'd she do that to Kenny, anyway?"

"That? That was just a simple force toss. Any padawan should be able to do that with a hand gesture. At least by her standards. And she was granted the standing of master by the Jedi before she left them."

"That was nothing?" she exclaims, surprise wringing through her hard beaten attitude. "So just how powerful is she anyway?"

"Remember the trio?" At Faiths nod she continues "If it had been Buffy, we wouldn't be alive." Willow turns to look at Faith, green eyes meeting shocked brown ones. "From what she's told us, she was both very powerful and very competent. Now, she still has the power and she seems to know what she's doing. If she wanted to, maybe... I don't know." She shrugs her shoulders. "She's a lot like I was. Lost in the power but at least she knows she has a problem. It took me hurting Dawn to get to that point."

"And it took me looking at B in my body after waking up from my coma." Faith turns away. "I tried to get Angel to kill me."

"He didn't though. And she needs my... our help to get through this."

* * *

Several hours later, Buffy slowly becomes aware of her surroundings. As she looks around at the cold concrete walls and the dirt floor, the large carved metal circle in the floor draws her attention. She stands and steps away from the seal, the waves of darkness rolling off it at once both seductive and vile to her senses. She looks around, her posture shifting defensive. Spying the door, she crosses the room and opens the door. Making her way through the basement to the stairs leading up. The sound of heavy breathing catches her with the door halfway open. She turns and carefully gazes back through the basement. Her eyes lock onto the large shadow of a large bipedal creature. A grim smile slowly spreads on her lips as she whispers "A Terentatek. Just what I need." She glances at her surroundings. "Need more room." She opens the door fully and takes the stairs up.

Exiting the stair well, she listens until the ripping of the lower doors carries to her. She turns and makes her way to the high school gym, making sure the dark creature follows her trail after it forces it's way up the stairs.

* * *

Willow watches from her place in the stands as Faith runs the girls through their exercise before the lesson in self defense. Buffy's disappearance and Kennedy's antagonism sent her out of the house in need of some time to think. As the principal, a Robin Wood, sitting beside her, watches the dark-haired slayer in action, the doors leading to the rest of the school explode off their hinges as a small blonde flies through them.

Buffy spins and lands on her feet and her left hand. As she stands, the two cylinders hanging from her belt leap into her hands and ignite into a silvered cyan in her right hand and reddish orange in her left. She glances back and orders the girls to the far side of the gym, her tone demanding instant obedience and promising woe to any who disobey. The sounds of cracking concrete and tearing metal grow in volume, causing the first panicked sounds to sound out. Faith hurries her students toward the far doors as Willow and the principal leave their seats and hurry toward the exit.

Two huge green scaled hands grab the top of the doorway and rip out chunks of the wall. As the rubble falls to the floor, the rest of the creature squeezes through the opening and unfolds to it's full twenty foot height and begins to lumber forward.

As the hunch-backed dark green monster begins to close in on Buffy, it roars out, the mandibles on each side of it's mouth adding a haunting note to it's cry.

Faith, Willow and Robin watch through the windows in the door as Buffy waits for its charge. When it swings, she rolls under the hard swung clawed hand, one saber scorching it's forearm, the other burning through the floor. As the fight progresses, Buffy fights carefully, avoiding the creature's claws while slowly wearing it down with minor wounds and burns. Finally, the creature gets a lucky blow, sending the blonde slayer tumbling, her light sabers flying out of her hands. She converts the tumble into a roll and ends in a handstand, her head barely above the ground. She pushes off with her hands into a back flip and lands on her feet before leaping straight up.

The charging creature comes to a halt when she springs up into the overhead beams. As it lifts it's head to search for it's now missing prey, Buffy reaches her hand out toward the rubble from the door and sends the chunks flying at it. Spotting one of her sabers against the wall, she drops and calls it to her hand. As the thing knocks the debris aside, she takes advantage of it's distracted state and lands belly first on the massive head. She swings her hand toward its eye as she ignites the saber and plunges both deep into it's plate sized left eye.

It howls in agony and begins to thrash about the room, its struggles and cries weakening rapidly until it falls to the floor. Buffy pulls her arm out of the wound and stumbles toward the door, falling in a crumpled heap before she makes it halfway to the door.

* * *

As Buffy rests in her bed, Giles questions Willow and Faith on the appearance of the creature as he organizes the group to search for any clue of what it was. As Giles pages through his book, a gasp from Willow draws the group's attention.

Xander looks up from his bound volume, "What ya find, Will?"

"A Terentatek. A dark side creature as strong as a rancor. Virtually immune to force effects. Very rare in the Star Wars universe. Usually found in caves and tombs. Thought to be native to the world of Korriban. Feeds off the blood of force users. Hey, there's a picture."

As she lists off the facts, Giles and the group move beside her so that they can see the laptop's screen. When she finishes, he removes his glasses and begins to clean them. "This creature is a, a creature native to the universe where Buffy was? Then it behooves us to determine how it came here." He pauses and considers for a moment. "Where did you locate this information, Willow?"

"Wookieepedia, the Star Wars Wiki. It's the first site my search found. Should I look some more?"

"See what other creatures you can find. There may be other such creatures showing up here. Meanwhile, we should see if this terentatek is listed anywhere as a demon."

"Sure thing, G-man." Xander smirks as he looks over Willow's shoulder. "That's what was at the school!" he exclaims in shock. "How big is it?"

"About twenty feet tall. And she was so calm and controlled." Willow sighs as she leans forward. Suddenly a soul wrenching scream wails from upstairs as sensations of terror come flooding through her bond. She leaps to her feet and rushes toward the stairs.

* * *

Buffy screams as she comes awake, her eyes frenzied as they scan the room. The sounds of people rushing up the stairs and the unfamiliar room freeze her panicked impulse toward flight. Some coming closer is worried about her, the feelings suddenly crashing through the force bond she shares with the red-head now tearing open the bedroom door.

Willow rushes to the bed as Buffy sits there frozen. Buffy sits there her eyes wide and unseeing as Willow sits beside her and pulls her into a tight embrace. "It's over. It was years ago. I'm here now."

As Willows words sink into her awareness, Buffy slowly relaxes against her, holding on like a lost child.

Xander looks at Willow, their expressions seeming to send reams of information between the two of them. Nodding his acceptance of her silent plea, he begins to shoo the crowd from the room. "Giles, let her have some room." As the people begin to leave, Willow calls out "Dawnie, could you get Mr. Gordo?"

Dawn looks at her distraught sister, desperately holding on to Willow. "Okay." Shortly after everyone leaves, Down brings the pink stuffed pig before reluctantly leaving once more.

Willow holds her friend and gently rocks back and forth until Buffy begins the talk. "It was happening all over again. I was trapped in that barn again. All those warriors were setting their weapons aside and getting ready to do it again. And, and Malak was there with them." She sobs silently against Willow's chest until falling into an emotionally exhausted slumber, her hands clutching tightly to Mr. Gordo.

Willow carefully disengages herself and makes her way down stairs, pausing to seal the door to prevent unwelcome visitors. As she enters the dining room, the conversation grinds to a halt as they look at her.

Giles clears his throat before he asks "How is she?"

"She's exhausted, Giles. And her past is starting to come back to haunt her." Willow sits down and leans back wearily. "She's so fragile, I'm afraid that she'll break."

Xander looks at the group before gazing at Willow. "Battle fatigue." he says as he studies his best friend's face. "How much has she been through that we don't know about?"

As Kennedy smirks and begins to open her mouth, Faith asks a question. "For how much of her time over there, was she in danger?"

Giles sets his book down. "As far as I can tell, she spent roughly three years waging war against the Mandalorians, another three years invading the republic, a year fighting her own empire and then she's been wondering for the last five years of her life. I would guess that at least half that time was front line service." He pauses as he thinks about his words for a moment. He removes his glasses and takes a handkerchief and begins to clean them. "Xander just might be correct. She could very easily be suffering from the accumulated stress of years of such conditions. It is possible that Kennedy's comment before lunch triggered just such a reaction. And with her abilities, everyone should take steps to avoid antagonizing the situation."

Kennedy interjects "Couldn't Willow do something? She is the most powerful witch on Earth."

Willow shakes her head. "No... no, I can't. She can do things I can't even sense. She's way more powerful then me."

"Yes, I agree." Giles turns his head to her. "Buffy. No, her name for now is Alexi. Anyway, she has manifested powers that I once thought were legends. She may not be able to draw as much magic from a single field as Willow, But she can pull power simultaneously from every area I know of, which makes her the most powerful magic wielder in the world."

Anya starts as the implications sink in. "She's that kind of mage? Andrew, go to the kitchen and do your best." she orders to everyone's surprise.

Dawn recovers first. "What are you doing, Anya. It's Buffy."

Anya turns to her and ,matter of factly, states. "Yes it's Buffy. But she doesn't remember that. She knows more about being a successful conqueror then being our friend. And I, for one, do not want to upset someone as powerful as the mage that destroyed Atlantis." She walks out of the room asking herself "I wonder how much she likes money?"

As the discussion continues, Willow excuses herself and returns upstairs to Buffy's room. As she sits on the side of the bed, Buffy opens here eyes and smiles. "Hey there."

"Hey, yourself. How ya doing?"

Buffy slowly pulls herself into a sitting position. "Not to well. You ever wake up and feel that you brain is going to explosively decompress?"

"Uhm, not really, I can't say ever."

Buffy smiles sadly. "I have." She turns and looks out the window. "I can't find my center any more. The only time I've even come close in the last few years was this morning, and you were here with me. I've lost something important, something critical, and I don't know where to look for it."

Willow chews at her lip nervously, her hands clenched tightly as she forces herself to consider her friends words. Finally, she comes to a decision. "I think you need to... " She leans in and whispers in Buffy's ear.


	5. Chapter 5

Willow and Buffy sit on the bedroom floor within a circle of sand, facing each other. Willow catches Buffy's gaze and asks "Are you ready?"

Buffy swallows nervously. "Not really, but I need to do this. I can't continue on as I have been."

"Okay, then." She smiles gently, to ease the blonde's fears. "Let's get started then."

As Willow focuses on the currents of energy that connect them, Buffy follows along. And when she opens her eyes, Willow and Buffy find themselves elsewhere.

They appear in a large partial room, filled with data disks, scattered holocrons and a handful of old hard bound books. One wall is missing, blown open to a void with a few crumbling arches leading into the darkness. As Willow begins to explore the room, Buffy carefully makes her way to the crumbling edge and looks out.

Willow carefully makes her way to where Buffy stands, gazing out into the abyss. She pauses and picks up one of the disks, and looks at it. As she studies the disc, images appear before her. Buffy turns as the room shifts to a corridor, the side walls rounded. A door sliding open and the clashing of light sabers between a woman in light brown robes and a man in black. Willow gasps as the woman strikes down the dark Jedi, seconds before an explosion of the wall behind her sends her to the deck, dead. Silver clad troopers rush up and engage a new Buffy and a man with short blond hair rush up to engage them, Buffy with a blade of some sort, the man with a pistol.

Buffy takes hold of Willow's shoulder. "One of my earliest true memories. That guy's name was Ulgo Trask." they follow the memories through the vessel, until Trask pushes memory Buffy back and the door slides shut, him facing a dark Jedi alone. "He gave his life to give me a chance to escape. He was supposed to be my cabin mate on the journey, but, well, you saw."

As Willow sets down the data disc and looks around, the scene reverts to the appearance when they first arrived. Looking around, this time, she picks up a holocron and studies it. The room shifts to the inside of a rough wooden barn. Women are marched in by individuals in full body armor and each taken to a separate stall. As the armed men begin to rip the clothing from the women, she sets down the holocron and looks to a pale Buffy. "Was that what I think it was?"

A shaken Buffy guides Willow away from the fallen Holocron. "That was it."

Willow sits down and picks up one of the books. As she looks at the bound volume, the faint odor of ash wafts to her. Opening it, she looks up as two faded and mostly burned portraits, each of a single person takes shape on the wall. Tho portrait is of two people. Only faint traces remain, along with pieces of their names. On the left, only the first few letters remain, spelling 'Alex'. Under the other, only the middle of the name is legible, a 'w.. Rose' below a silhouette with specks of red in it's hair.

Buffy speaks from behind her. "I knew the name I remembered wasn't mine. And this was the one that sounded the most right. Even now, it still sounds more me then Revan does."

Willow sets down the book. "It's surprising that somehow, you remembered me, us." She gathers the other books and sits on the floor with them. Buffy sits beside her and watches as Willow opens the second book to reveal a line drawing of Joyce Summers on clean white pages. Willow asks Buffy about her mother and slowly, the picture takes on color and definition. As she pages through the book, drawings and pictures of Xander, Willow and even Giles and some of the others are revealed. But no hint of Dawn. "That's strange." she comments.

"What is it?" Buffy asks.

"All of these pictures but your sister isn't in any of them." Suddenly, Willow's eyes blaze with discovery. "Of course. You've been saying that Dawn doesn't seem right to you, that she doesn't seem to belong."

Buffy looks at her curiously. "Your point is?"

"The Key was sent to you so that you could protect it. It was sent in the form of a sister for you to protect it and our memories were changed to so that it seemed that she was always there. But somehow, you don't have those memories. But where are they? She rises to her feet and looks carefully around the room. "There has to be something we're not seeing." She begins searching the room as Buffy gets to her feet.

"Why don't you try that area, Will?" Buffy points to the wall away from the crumbling edge. "That's my so called past. If there's anything hidden away, it should be over there." She shrugs her shoulders.

Several minutes later, Willow looks to Buffy and signs. "You know, this just doesn't seem right."

"Of course not. This is how the Jedi council put everything together overlaid on my previous existence. This life of mine is an artificial construct built over my previous memories so that they could use me to deal with the threat I posed to the Republic as Revan."

"Built over? Since this is your mind, your sense of self, then lets search the floor." Willow looks over the covered floor. "Maybe that's why your memories seem so scattered. So you won't be able to find your way back to who you were."

"What do you mean, Will?"

"I mean, what if the reason everything is so disorganized is to make it difficult for you to access anything without their help. But you have your memories, at least the first twenty years or so. They just sealed them away, mostly. And if we. If you can recover them, then you can discover who you really are, not what they tried to make you into."

Buffy begins to pace around Willow. "If that's what they did, then they most likely set a deterrent so that any time I get close, I back off." She stops and turns to face Willow. "Those bastards. They did it deliberately. I bet it was Vrook's idea. He never did care for the idea of me learning to use the force. In fact, he seemed noticeability upset that I was able to use it at all. Search it for me?"

Willow nods, clearly upset at the distress she is about to cause Buffy. She returns and picks up the holocron and steels herself as the room shifts back to the barn. As the sounds of women being escorted in begin, she begins to search the stalls while the real Buffy curls up in a corner of the loft. As the women's screams and cries begin to increase in volume, Willow spots a holocron under the straw near where memory Buffy suffers. She grabs it and scoots out of there and up to where the real Buffy is curled into a ball. At her touch, Buffy opens her tear filled eyes and looks to Willow in desperate hope. Willow holds up her find and places it in Buffy's hand.

As the memory fades away, the room itself begins to shift. Cut stones leap up and fit into the crumbling end the crumbling end as the very walls expand and fade into the distance as grey metallic walls rise from the now metal floor, rising for twice their height before changing directions and forming the roof.

Willow looks around nervously at the new surroundings. "Did we do it?" she asks "Is this your time as Revan?" She looks around as the sound of marching feet becomes noticeable. As they watch, a squad of troopers in reflective silvered armor rounds the nearest corner and marches through them. The two girls follow until they pass through a door to see two individuals standing in a large rom, filled with strange controls and large viewport.

One, the tattooed man that the first has taken the form of stands facing a figure in black robes. He speaks "So this is the secret we have searched for, master."

The robed figure turns, revealing a bark face mask, and as it begins to speak, Willow jumps in surprise as Buffy's voice coldly flows out "Yes, my apprentice. This is the Star Forge, this is the place the Jedi will search for. This place will build a new fleet, one without any reliance upon the Republic for supplies. This is what we need, not just for the fight against the Republic, but for the war that shall follow on it's heels."

"Yes, my master." the red robed man walk out of the control room.

As soon as Malak has left and the door slid shut, the robed figure strides toward a panel in the corner, one over shadowed by the others. It pauses and turns to face the two women. Revan reaches up and removes the face mask to reveal the face of Buffy Summers, a cold and unemotional face, lifeless. "So you are who I will become." She strides forward toward Buffy and then walks around her, studying her. "So the council got their hands on me, on us once more."

"They did. And they used me to destroy the Star Forge."

"To be expected. And this is. . ." She pauses to study Willow carefully. Suddenly, her eyes light up with delight. "You found the way home?"

"Not quite. They summoned me back. My absence allowed a great power to rise and threaten them. When they found out I was still alive, well physically at least, they searched and called me back."

"I always wanted to go home." Revan smiles a cold smile. "To know where I came from. But they took me and tried to make me a cold and unemotional being. All he left me was my duty."

Willow looks to her Buffy. "That's not right. If all you have is duty, then what is there for you to look forward to, to make you want to continue to live. You always had friends."

The Revan fragment cocks her head, studying the red head. "I had the occasional lover, even Malak before I was gang raped. Afterwards, I never could stand the touch of a man. After that, I took women, but there was no connection." She steps forward until she stands very close to Willow. "If I had found you?" she trails off. She leans forward and grabs Willow, bringing their lips together in a passionate kiss. After some time, Revan releases a flustered and stunned Willow and steps back. "Things would have been different, I would of had a reason not to join the dark side." She walks slowly back to the panel. "When we first found this place, I realized that the Jedi council would eventually find it. So I made plans, I had the Star Forge craft a second one that I hid far away as a fall back. It was shipped into it's hiding place secretly along with the droids to assemble it. It took years to fabricate, but Malak was never interested in the logistics of war. All he cared for was the forces he commanded." She turns to face the two. "We will return there someday. And when we do, we will have options."

Buffy nods. "Definitely. I will not blindly follow them. Not after what they did to me." She turns her head to gaze at a recovering Willow. "You recognized her? How?"

"I have access to a few memories of a time before, when I was called Buffy Summers, after I faced the Jedi on the bridge of my flagship."

Buffy laughs, a trace of hysteria in her voice. "So after they tried to erase you, you remembered a little bit?"

A voice from behind them causes them to jump. "Not exactly." As Buffy and Willow turn around, shocked to see memory Buffy waving. "Hi ya, Will, Revie, Lexi."

Willow stammers out "Buffy?" as they stare at Buffy Summers, dressed exactly as when they entered the Initiative facilities, leaning against the wall, examining her nails.

Willow shrieks and rushes the diminutive blonde and seizes her as tightly as her arms allow. Buffy looks helplessly as Revan and Alexi watch the reunion, each smiling faintly.

Alexi looks at her two previous incarnations. "So, now what? I mean I've just managed to talk to you, so. . .?" She shrugs her shoulders helplessly.

Willow disengages her arms from mem Buffy and looks back as Revan speaks. "We merge. Buffy and I had our times while your time is still running."

Buffy nods. "She's right. Even if we wanted to, we can't return separately. And you need our knowledge for your own sanity. Separated, we will become what I fought against."

Reven waves her hand and the scene shifts to a conference room. She sits and waits till the others also take a seat. "Alexi, you and I both existed with Buffy in our minds, even if we weren't aware of her. You also had me present. I could never find my balance with one extra, as you cannot with the two of us. As long as we exist apart, we will continue to spin farther away from our balance. And with no balance, we will fall to the dark side, despite being able to access the entirety of the living force."

Buffy sits by Revan. "Normally, I'm all action girl, but this isn't something I can do. But, if you agree, it will still take time to merge us."

Willow nods in understanding. "That's one way to treat multiply personality disorders. It takes time to integrate the personalities though."

"Tat is true, but now that contact has been made, we can begin in Alexi's dreams. Each time she, we dream, we can share our memories." Revan stands and begins slowly walking around the table. "Still, it will take time, weeks at the least. But this way, we can initiate and monitor the process, unlike what's happening now."

Alexi looks startled. "What do you mean?"

Revan pauses and places her hands on the table. "We've been watching you since your awaking on the Endar Spire, you and your slow drift towards madness. If you refuse, if you don't take action, you will drag us down with you, and this world will suffer greatly. And while I don't really care about it, I know that you do. Care I mean."

Buffy smiles reassuringly. "Also, you will be able call us to the forefront of your mind. We won't be able to stay in charge long."

"But you can call us up when you need our strengths, at least until you can do it yourself." Revan stands upright.

Alexi looks at her hands intently. "I can't decide now. If it's bad as you say, how do I know I can trust you?"

Buffy looks at her. "It's our duty. I gave everything to fulfill mine and Revan sacrificed herself because of it." She glances to Revan, who nods. "Take all the time you need to think about it."

Alexi stands and begins to walk aimlessly when everything suddenly seems to collapse. Opening her eyes, she meets the confused gaze of Willow. She looks around, seeing once again the bedroom where they sit within a circle of sand. Glancing to the window, they are surprised to see the morning light beginning to spread outside.

Buffy stands up and crosses to the bed where she sits. "So, what do you think?"

The red head pulls herself onto the bed, laying wearily upon it. "I don't know. I couldn't hear you talking with the others. But while Revan spoke, Buffy and I talked. What happened?"

"They pointed out a choice I have to make." She leans back, resting her head on Willow's stomach. "What did you think of them, of Revan?"

"She scares me, a lot. And Buffy can't remember Dawn either. In fact, the last thing she can remember is worrying about Dracula trying to seduce her." Willow begins to run the fingers of her left hand through Buffy's hair. "That must be when the monks sent the Key here. So you would protect it, her. And why you, she jumped into the portal, to keep Dawn alive."

Buffy drifts off to sleep, short there after, followed by Willow.

* * *

The pounding at the bedroom door draws the two women from their slumber. Buffy sits up from her strangely comforting pillow and looks around. Stumbling to her feet, she crosses to the door. She unlocks and turns the knob as Kennedy pounds again, sending the door flying into the wall. Willow looks up, her sleep tousled hair causing Buffy's breathe to catch momentarily. "What's the matter?" she asks the upset potential.

"It's bad. LA is, has gone dark." She pulls away and leads them downstairs where the group sits around the television, watching the news about the blotting out of the sun in the city of Angels.

Willow sits heavily as the magnitude of the crisis resonates throughout the group. As the peace and quiet begin to fail and the potentials begin to talk, Faith motions the core scoobies into the dining area to discuss about the situation.

As they begin to talk about the situation, Buffy sits under the window, her back against the wall, studying them, their actions and their questions. As the potentials crowd into the entrances of the room, she comes to a decision. She stands up and enters the kitchen and starts to write a list. She clears her throat before she speaks. "Kennedy, Molly, take the potentials outside and follow this." she rips the paper free and hands it to Molly, who looks at it and nods.

As the others take notic, the potentials begin to file out. Faith nods in understanding as the din quiets out. "Thanks. Now we have to.."

Buffy cuts in, using standard galactic, "Does somebody know anyone in LA?" as she moves next to the table.

Willow nods and replies in the same language. "Oh yeah, I do."

"Would they know anything?"

"Somebody should. I'll go call." She gets up and heads for the phone.

As Andrew begins to withdraw, Buffy turns towards him. "Andrew, I have a task for you."

He pauses and turns toward her. "For me?" he asks nervously. "Are you sure someone else couldn't do it better?"

"I need your unique skills and knowledge." As the others pause and watch in thinly disguised interest as she smiles at him. "I need you to find every force power or ability mentioned in any source. Make a list of each and where you found the information. There may be some technique or ability that I, we can make use of." He nods and leaves, his back a little straighter.

She turns to Xander and Anya. "Could you check into the supplies? Xander, the weapons and anything we can use for repairs. Anya, could you check the finances, see how much is being spent per person, and how big our war chest is. Once that's done, could you make up list of jobs around here and rotating assignments to fill them?"

Anya nods approvingly. "It's about time they began to do the work around here."

Giles interrupts "They're here so we can protect them, Anya, not be your servants."

Buffy clears her throat. "That may be, but they need to take responsibility for helping keep this place clean and picked up. They can't expect you" Her eyes move around the table, meeting each ones eyes before moving to the next until they are all watching her "to do all the work around here as well as training them, protecting them and working to pay all the bills here without them doing their share of the work. Anya, exempt those that work or go to school. Place Andrew in charge of the cooking and assign him a helper or two. Change their jobs every few days, so they can't complain of being stuck with the tasks no one wants. No more then a couple of hours a day, each."

"I'll drill everyone in sword skills every evening, after dinner." She looks at the dark slayer for a moment. "Faith, show me the hot spots in town tonight and I'll trade off on patrols with you."

Dawn breaks in "What about LA?"

Willow's return cuts off her comments as she sits heavily. "Wesley said that a demon is responsible. It killed these five beings connected to the sun god Ra, the Ra tet, and did a ritual. They're working on it and if they need help, he'll call."

Buffy smiles. "Good, then we don't need to worry about it for now. But if they contact us, let me know. Now, let's start at the beginning, and you can tell me about our crisis."


	6. Chapter 6

As Faith shows Buffy around the quiet town, Willow undergoes her own trial. As she rests in a chair in the family room, Giles sits in the chair beside her awhile Anya, Xander and Dawn share the couch as some of the potentials sit around the room. Willow looks up and nervously chews. "Uh, hey guys, what's uh, up?"

Giles removes his glasses and begins to carefully polish them. "Could you explain what happened with the two of you?"

Xander pops up "Yeah, Will. You two spent a whole day in there, doing some kind of hocus-pocus. What's up? We're worried about..."

Anya cuts in. "We're worried about you going all darth Willow on us."

Willow leans back before speaking, using the language Buffy trading to them. "We went into her mind, her memories. I thought I could help her remember us."

Giles clears his throat before he asks using the same tongue. "What did you discover?"

Willow smiles sadly. "She's got two personalities hidden in there. One is Revan, the other is the Buffy we remember. They throw her off balance."

Xander looks around at the potentials wondering at the conversation. Then her comments sink in causing him to snap his head around. "You met Revan? How was she?"

Willow pauses a moment to consider. "You remember my vampire double?" At Giles and Xander's nods, she continues. "Revan was kinda like that crossed with Kendra. A lot of duty and purpose with no reason to stay good. But gay and sexy and cold."

"But Buffy's not gay." Dawn whines, clearly upset at the change in her sister.

"She wasn't before, but she is now. Traumatic events can do things to you. She's been through a lot. And Dawn, the last thing Buffy remembers is Dracula in town. But she doesn't remember anything about you."

Dawn curls up, distraught. "But she's my sister." She whines softly.

Xander reaches over and grabs Dawn's hand. "Yes she is. But you can't expect everything to be easy. She's been through hell. She's seen worlds destroyed and friends and comrades dead. She's been betrayed by the guy who was she was close to and a lover. She's been lied to and mislead by people she trusted who used her as a tool." He stops and pauses for a moment. "Buffy suffered through Angelus and Revan had a similar thing with Malak. Her eighteenth birthday and the Jedi council, both betrayals of trust. "

Andrew walks in at the last of Xander's comments. "So are we going to betray her or her trust. It's like the rule of three. So who will it be this time."

Giles removes his glasses as he sighs. "I'll regret asking this, but what rule of three, Andrew?"

"It's from the D&D Planescape setting. Things always happen in threes. Oh, Anya?"

She looks up at him. "Yes?"

"Did you finish that list of helpers? I want to start getting things ready for breakfast tomorrow."

Willow stands and slips into the basement to practice as Kennedy and Rona begin to argue with Anya over the list of chore assignments that she had drawn up.

* * *

Faith and Buffy quietly walk through the darkness in one of the many graveyards in Sunnydale. As they pass through the forth one f the night, Faith sighs. "Al, do you really know what you're doing?"

"What do you mean?"

Faith stops and turns to face her. Leaning back on a tombstone, she asks "Are you trying to take over? Cause if you are, you can have it."

Buffy sits down facing her, leaning against another tombstone. "I've thought about it. None of you really want to be in charge, except Kennedy and maybe Rupert. And you don't have any real ideas of just what you need to do in order to maximize your odds of success."

"So what do we need to do, in your opinion?"

"Amateurs speak of tactics and weapons. Professionals deal with logistics and training. The first thing that we need is to inventory the weapons and equipment and any other resources available. Then work out a budget, and what's needed as more potentials arrive. Second, we design a training program for the potentials and everyone else who's gonna fight. Make sure that we cover individual combat and formation fighting. Then we pick the best person to oversee it, someone who has been in combat and can help prepare them to face it. What are the toughest foes we're likely to encounter?"

"The turok han, the uber vamps." Faith gives her a quick rundown on them.

"Aright then, stakes are out. To little reach and not enough penetration. How about sword and spear work, that'll work. Swords work on most demons and spears are easy to fab up and practice formation fighting with. And a line of wooden spears should give most vamps pause, or even steel tips with wooden inlays, even if they're only girls holding them. After all, quantity has a quality of it's own, even if it's a wasteful way of fighting."

Faith sighs."You really know what you're talking about. May 20, Damn, I or even B couldn't of come up with those ideas. Hell, I got almost no idea of what to do, and here you show up, way better at the leading thing. If I had a brain, I'd put you in charge." She sits there for a moment. "Ah hell, I can't lead them. All I can do keep eem loose. I got no clue what I'm doing. You do, and you're way better at it then I am. You should be in charge."

Buffy sits there for a moment. "I accept, but on one condition. You'll stay on as my second in command. You'll have a chance to learn the skills that you need to lead, but that won't mean to much without the abilities to go with them."

"You really think I can?"

"You can, if you try. And your first assignment will be to assist me in revamping the potentials' training routines. I know Jedi, Sith and Republic training methods. Giles knows the council's methods. We'll work out the details over the next few days. She stands and looks around. "Is it normally this quiet?"

"The lack of stuff to kill? Only in the summer or when the big bad is up to something." She stands and looks around. "Yeah, it's late and I gotta work tomorrow."

* * *

The next morning, Buffy wakes up, and smiles as Willow mumbles in her sleep about evil frogs. She slowly works out from under of the red head's arm thrown over her and gathers her things for a shower. She pauses at the door in a pair of yummy sushi pajamas and looks and the woman who spent the night because of the night mares and memories that are driving her crazy. Still, having a second night of undisturbed sleep was a precious gift.

When she returns to the room, Willow's voice calls out, "Morning. You're up early."

"Not really. For me, four hours is a full night's sleep. I've never felt so rested. Usually, I've had managed on two, two and a half."

"That's interesting. You used to need six hours. Faith does."

"So do most human Jedi, at least after they've developed their abilities with the force, especially the healing trance. All Jedi see a reduction in the sleep they require. You're almost there. Rupert will take at least couple of weeks to reach it." As she sits there getting dressed, she stops and raises her face and closes her eyes. "Time to get up. Something is starting, a disturbance in the force unlike anything I've felt before. But there's something familiar about it, a familiar feel, a familiar darkness." She pauses, considering the words, and the feelings. "It reminds me of where I was, the Republic and the Order. No, of Korribon, home world of the Sith." She turns to Willow and opens her eyes, the hazel within meeting Willow's green. "Reach out and feel the flowing of the force. Feel the currents and listen."

Willow sits up and closes her eyes and slowly extends her senses out and over the sleeping town. As she focuses her senses, a whisper of difference draws her focus across the darkened landscape until she focuses upon the disturbance. Suddenly, she opens her eyes, clearly surprised. "There's something happening where we summoned you back, where you fell through the portal. It's not a portal, though." She pauses and nervously chews on her lip before she looks up, a decision made. "At least it's not like any portal I've seen. But I'll go with you." She gets out of the bed and begins to get ready for a shower.

* * *

An hour later, the two women walk through the late night darkness, both women clad in comfortable dark grey robes. Willow walks just ahead of Buffy, her senses on alert as they approach the strange manifestation. As they approach, a faint blackish haze seems to appear in the air around them when they get within thirty feet. As the two women stop and observe, the slowly darkening haze suddenly clears away, leaving a view of a dry and desolate landscape. A weather battered wall stands before them, keeping them from the long drop now before them.

Buffy looks over the drop, her face pale. She turns around and softly whimpers. Willow turns and gasps at the ancient monuments carved into the rock lining the valley, signs of excavation and skeletal remains slowly decaying scattered around the valley floor and the jutting pillars under the harsh oddly tinted sun shining down.

"Welcome to Korribon, ancient home world to the Sith and filled with the dark side. There are the tombs of four of the rulers of the Sith." She points out the monuments, starting with the closest one on the left. "They belong to Tulak Hord, Ajunta Pall, Marka Ragnos and finally Naga Sadow. He started the great hyperspace war over a thousand years ago and is the only one not actually buried here. In the last days of the war, he fled with his flagship to one of the moons of Yavin. And there is the path to the Sith Academy I set up." She points back to the far end of the valley.

Suddenly, Buffy looks up, while shading her eyes with her hand. Willow starts to look up when a sudden weight slams into her back. She stumbles forward into the wall as the mass drops from her, crying out in Spike's voice.

"Bloody hell!" As the two glance at him, he yanks his coat up over his head and rushes for the nearest shade, stumbling over the rough ground.

Willow watches for a moment before she realizes that the chipped vampire isn't smoking, in a catching on fire sort of way. "Hey, Spike. You're not on fire."

He pauses as her words sink in and he carefully reaches one hand into the sunlight, becoming more bold as nothing happens. He stands up and flicks his coat into place before he struts over to them. "Where are we, Red?"

Bufft's voice cuts through "Korriban, and we're about to have visitors. Including an old friend and a comrade in arms." She looks back up.

As he other two look up, a speck appears and swiftly approaches, swelling into a somewhat circle with three forward thrusting sections, the central one dominating the other two. Quicker then either Willow or Spike expect, the brown and black vessel settles down on three newly extended landing struts, the wind of it's landing deflected by a force barrier. As the ship's hull slowly settles and the legs adjust until it sits level, Buffy walks around the ship until she stands in front and on one side of the central section. As Willow and Spike follow her around, a ramp detaches and lowers until one edge rest on the ground before them. She calls out "Hello, anyone on board?"

On board the ship, the crew comes to a halt as her voice carries throughout the corridors. Suddenly, they gather and wait for their leader to make a decision. She carefully walks down the ramp, her light saber ready, but not engaged. Reaching the bottom of the ramp, she stops, frozen in surprise at the three people.

Buffy smiles sadly. "Hey, Amonoa. It's been a long time, Exile."

The dark haired woman looks at the blonde as she takes several steps forward before stiffly replying "Over a decade, Revan. I had heard you disappeared a few years ago." She glances at Willow. "Still pursuing the naive I see."

Buffy steps forward as the rest of the occupants make their way down and looks over them as they descend and Amonoa names them. A red headed young woman that reminds her of a biker. "Mira." A dark haired man in light body armor. "Atton." A humanoid male with a crown of horns and one arm replaced with glowing energy. "Bao-Dur." Another man in silvery full body armor. "Mandalore." A short barrel shaped droid with round plate like head and two legs angling forward. "T3-M4." A humanoid robot with reddish armor plating. "HK-47."A spherical robot that hovers there. "G0T0." a woman in purple robes and a veil covering from the nose up. "Visas."A brown robed and blond haired man. "Disciple." And as the last one walks down the ramp and turns toward her, Buffy bows to her. "Master Kreia."

The old woman faces here "Revan." a slight wondering note to her voice.

"Yes and no. Revan is still in here." She points to her skull. "But Vrook and the others tried to make a new me."

"He erased your memories again? Then that is the cause of the differences in you." she raises her head to expose her grey unseeing eyes.

"Not the only reason. I found where I come from, my home world. I know more about who and what I am then I did before."

"Then you have solved the mystery of your past."

Amonoa clears her throat and Buffy looks to her. "Why did you attack the Republic? Why did you betray us like that?"

"The Mandolorians needed to be stopped. If we had sat around and done nothing, then other groups would have started carving off chunks for themselves, like the Hutts. And I discovered what was behind them, stirring things up from the shadows. Even after the war, the Republic was in no shape to resist. So I created an empire to test them and to force them to arm themselves. But the council and Malak both interfered with my plans. The council made me into a tool to destroy the empire I built, and when I remembered the truth, I left to buy as much time as I could."

"But all the death and destruction you caused, why? Why was it necessary?"

"I was programed to serve the Republic and the Order. But I'm an outsider. I can see things, weaknesses, you are blind to because of that. I have little of the love for it you have." She looks at the figure clad in silvery armor. "Hello, Mandalore."

To the others surprise, he gives her a slight bow. "Greetings, Revan, or should I say Alexi?"

"Revan still exists, Ordo, but she's locked up. It may be possible for her to gain control, but until that happens, it's Alexi." Buffy smiles warmly at his gruffness. "How are the others?"

"Mission and Zalbar are fine. Zalbar returned home and she spends a lot of time there. Juhani and Jolee are dead, slain along with most of the council. Carth is an admiral now and Bastilla has disappeared. What little information I have is that she went underground."

"Bastilla went into hiding? I thought she'd be one of those no surrender, no retreat types, after her own fall." She chuckles.

"Indeed. After you left, she changed. Princess grew up and paid attention to things or so my agents told me."

"And you have agents now?"

"I learned from the best. You showed the clans and me how important information is and what you can find out. We had the fighting and logistics, but you proved to us that isn't enough. Of course, it's taken a few years for me to understand your lessons."

"So, Amonoa, what brings you here?"

"There is a Jedi master here that I must find." She waves her hand through the suddenly hazy air, as if trying to shoo away insects. Suddenly, the would goes dark, they feel a wrenching sensation and they find themselves and the landed vessel on the football field at Sunnydale High.

Buffy leaps forward as Kreia and Amonoa both suddenly collapse while Visas stumbles. She grabs the old woman as the younger Jedi hits the grass. Spike picks up the fallen woman as Willow looks around.

"We can't stay here, Alexi. We need to get them into shelter." Willow speaks simply.

"You're right. T3, lock up the ship. The rest of you, grab what you need for a few days. Then we'll take you to where I'm staying. HK, if you see any humans with no body heat, other then Spike here, shoot to kill."

The humanoid robot looks at her, it's sensor eyes shining oddly. "Statement: I will obey, master. How this makes my circuit flow." It unslings the rifle like weapon from it's back and begins the scan the surroundings, now ready to commit mayhem.

After a short wait for the living and conscious crew to gather necessities, they follow Buffy carrying Kreia over one shoulder and group through the dark streets.

When they get a couple of blocks from the house, HK pauses and turns to face down the street to the right. As Willow glances that way, she stumbles and cries out "Buffy!" as she stares at the charging band of about ten Turak Han.

Buffy turns and follows Willow's gaze. "HK, fire."she orders.

As the robot begins sending bolts of green doom into their attackers in comments "Statement: Eat this, meatbags." It's bolts begin to blow heads and limbs to fragments that rapidly turn to dust. Still, three get close enough as Visas thrusts out her hand sending a wave of the force toward them. They pause momentarily, before Willow throws a flaming ball at one, turning it briefly into a column of flame.

Buffy calls out "Cease fire." as her twin sabers leap from her belt and ignite as they spin and slice one to rapidly disintegrating fragments. Meanwhile, she thrust out her unfilled arm and freezes the last uber vampire with a twined force attack. "Spike, bring it."

The souled vampire looks at her before he grabs the frozen body.

HK resumes scanning the area."Statement: That was oddly disappointing, master."

* * *

Giles warily opens the door, the potentials armed behind him.

Buffy breezes in, a robed woman slung over one shoulder.. "Hey, I found a friend wandering around."

Willow enters, an apologetic grin on her face. Spike drags his burden in and downstairs. And three droids, six humans and one alien follow behind them. Buffy looks up the stairs. "Hey, Faith, you should let Robin know that the spaceship is their's, the one parked on the football field."

Faith nods.


	7. Chapter 7

As the group settles into the already overfull house, Giles' eyes narrow at the practiced way the newcomers carry their weapons and widen in surprise as the three droids enter. "Do you know these individuals, Alexi?"

Buffy carefully lays down an old woman missing one hand on the couch. While the Mandalore sets down a younger woman, Buffy speaks in English "This is my first teacher as a Jedi, Kreia. That's one of the Jedi I went to the Mandolorian wars with. Amonoa Windu served under my command." She nods at the silvery armored man. "I traveled with the Mandolore in my mission to destroy the first Star Forge along with the two droids with legs. The shorter one, T3-M4, I bought and the humanoid one... I designed, built and programed HK-47 using the Star Forge as an assassin." Willow and Giles both start at that bit of information while the potential look nervously at the reddish droid. "The Zalbrak, the one with the repulsor arm is it?" She looks a question at him, continuing on at his acknowledgment, "is Bao-Dur, a very skilled engineer. The last Droid is G0T0. The red head is Mira, the blond is Mical the Disciple, the dark haired guy is Atton, and the Miraluka is Visas."

Chloe looks up at the last one and asks "What's a Miraluka?"

"The race is physically blind, but they can see just as well through the force. They usually wear veils, though, to avoid upsetting others when they travel." Buffy explains as she examines the two unconscious Jedi. Switching the Galactic Basic, she looks at the new comers. "How many of you are Jedi, or at least force sensitive? Never mind, I'll find out for myself." She closes her eyes and focuses. Slowly, everyone present begins to feel her rising power. Her eyes snap open as she looks at them group. "That's interesting. The only one that's not sensitive is you, Ordo. And yes, I know I shouldn't use your name or clan." her eyes light with humor as she speaks.

The Mandalore shakes his head. "You won't stop no matter how often I ask, will you, Revan?"

Giles clears his throat. "I'm afraid not. One of her friends still refuses to use my name and instead uses the term G-man. No matter how many times I've asked him not to."

"And how do you know her?" He turns his armored head towards Giles.

"I met her shortly after her sixteenth birthday. She left us, sacrificing herself to save the world almost four and a half years later. During the time I knew her, she became like a daughter to me. And in answer to your next question, for us, she's been gone for eighteen months."

Buffy clears her throat. "I can show you my mother's grave. And I have a sister around here somewhere."She glances around the room before she looks up the stairs. "But there are only seven, besides myself, that know this language. Giles there is one of them as is Willow. The others aren't here though." She finally sits down. "There's two guys. The brunet is Xander and the other one is Andrew. He'll ask a lot of questions. The other three include my sister, Dawn" she gestures and lifts a framed photo into his armored hands. "And there's Faith, the more stacked brunette. She's also stronger then she looks. And the last one is coming down the stairs now. Her name is Anya and she has an unusual past. The others are here for their protection. And the one with us that went downstairs is Spike."

The armored figure moves his head around, obviously looking around the room and the watching people before he looks at Buffy. "Even here, you are surrounded by warriors and warriors in training."

"That's true. This time, it's only the survival of a single species and the fate of their, my home world and my family."

"A local matter then."

"Maybe, but we don't have any capability for space travel." She turns to face him. "While you're here, would you mind helping us come up with a training routine for these girls? There's something that wants them dead and I want them able to defend themselves. It'll keep you busy."

"As long as it doesn't interfere with my own training, I could."

Giles looks at her in confusion. "Are you sure this is wise? What can he teach them?"

Buffy stifles a laugh. "He's a Mandalorian, and not just a plain old one but their leader. They are one of the finest heavy infantry forces I know of. Well versed in both ranged and hand to hand combat, Tactically flexible and and practice combined arms. The average Mandalorian is a good match for most Jedi in combat. Learn from him and take notes, Giles."

"Is he really that, well, that skilled?" Giles inquires as he studies the man.

He laughs. "Coming from you, Revan, that is high praise."

"I fought and worked beside you from Taris until the Starforge was destroyed. I also went back and studied everything I could from before that I could find. It wasn't much. The council erased a lot of my past, my time as Revan."

A moan from the woman on the floor draws their attention. Buffy nods to the new group and walks upstairs, passing Anya at the base as the rest of them watch her leave. Anya looks at the new comers and throws up her hands. "Great, more free loaders."

* * *

Willow opens the door and steps in the house, returning home after her classes to see Buffy sitting at the dining room table covered with papers. Anya and Andrew sit across from her. She walks up, her curiosity peaked. Buffy looks up at her and smiles as she steps beside the sitting blonde.

"Hey, Willow. What kind of cereal do you like?" Buffy asks in Galactic Basic.

"Why, What's up?" Willow asks as she sits down.

"We're working out the meal plans for the week."

Anya cuts in. "And we're trying to organize the purchasing to hold down costs. I approve of this non spending of money."

"So, where are they, Alexi?"

"Mandalore and Mira are watching the potentials train out back. Atton and Spike are studying the Turok Han we caught downstairs. Bao-Dur took the bots back to the ship with Faith this morning. He's going to modify T3 so that the droid can scan the web for us. Giles, Mical, Visas and Kreia are upstairs taking about the Force and how it relates to magic here. Amonoa is upstairs, regaining her strength and meditating."

"So, any idea why the two of them collapsed?" Willow asks as she sits down and looks at Anya's list.

"Kreia and Amonoa have a strong force bond. When Malachor V was destroyed, Amonoa was in so much pain, she cut herself from the force. Well, she tried to anyway. What she ended up doing is wrenching herself into another part that most never feel, leaving a hole where the rest would search. When she came through the portal, she got stuck for a moment before she was forced through. It flowed through the bond to Kreia."

"That makes sense. Sounds painful too." Willow comments.

Giles enters the room. "Alexi, what was the date just before you came here?" After she tells him, and the others he was talking to follow, he removes his glasses and starts to clean them. "I've made a rather unpleasant discovery. The average time ratio while you were gone is twenty two days there to one here. But the ratio from the time you returned here and they came through is five to one. Somehow, your going there has caused the two universes to catch on each other. We can hope that by bringing you back, the damage will begin to heal."

Buffy clears her throat before she speaks. "But we don't know for sure. We need to determine what's really going on, if we can. I doubt the Jedi have any information. Not big on the whole alternate universe idea."

"That is true. There are many things that the council has turned it's back on long ago. Ideas and knowledge that they have labeled impossible or tainted. Some of these do touch on the dark side. Others, they don't believe in the possibility of." Kreia sits at the table. "There is something that I have wished to ask you for some time, Revan."

Buffy leans back in her chair. "Ask away, my old master."

"Have you learned what it is that you dream of?" She leans forward.

"I have." Buffy looks straight into Kreia's dead eyes. "I know what separates me from every Jedi or Sith who have ever lived. I have an idea of why I look so young. I know why I have the dreams of the future. I am not from the same universe you are. And here, the force is choppy and stirred by competing forces. It isn't as calm as the one you know. Here, reach out, carefully and just feel it, it's currents flowing and even at odds at times." She spreads her arms. "And here, there are other things that reflect in the force, beings whose nature defies explanation or comprehension. There is one in particular who radiates blackness. It plots and schemes as it's minions try to do it's will. It can manifest as the dead but it cannot touch anything. And it wants us dead." She falls silent, calmly meeting the gaze of the old woman until Kreia looks away.

"Yes, you are correct. It is ... difficult to see." Kreia shakes her head. "And you have taken an apprentice. Which of these is he."

"I have two. Giles here is one. Willow is the second."

The front door opening and Faith's voice calling out cuts through the room. "Hey guys, I got a visitor."

Giles turns. "Hello, Faith. And who is this?"

The bald African-American extends his hand. "I'm Robin. Robin Wood. I'm the principal at the Sunnydale High."

Faith slaps him on the back. "His mom was Nikki Wood. Slayer in New York." She waves at the house. "And this is slayer central. The ones from out of town cloths came with their ship by portal."

He pauses, clearly surprised at the group.

Buffy calls over her shoulder "Faith, Giles identified a potential problem. And you should check out the menu for the week while there's time to make changes." She stands up and takes a sheet of written on paper and hands it to the other slayer. She then studies the guy next to her. "Hi, Robin, right. So what are ya here for?"

"I wanted to see where Faith worked, her real job." he says, holding up one hand. "And to carry this one last time." He sets a brown leather duffel bag on the table. "It belonged to my mother. It's a slayer emergency kit. It should have been passed down until Faith, but I couldn't let go."

Faith shakes her head negatively. "No, it would have gone to her, to Alexi, or Buffy, before she jumped though a portal to save the world." At Robin's confusion, she continues. "She was called, died for a minute, came back and killed the vampire that killed her. Her successor died a year later and called me."

Robin nods in acceptance and then looks around curiously.

Buffy notices and makes introductions.

* * *

As Faith, Buffy and Robin walk onto the back porch, they see the potentials scattered around in five groups. Four of the groups are doing different physical exercises overseen by a red headed woman while the last group is practicing combat moves overseen by a man in silvery armor. As one of the girls screws up, he calls them to stop. "What's your name, kid?" he asks, in English.

Faith stares in surprise as the potential answers. "Chloe, sir."

"Well, kid, let's try it again." As she does, he corrects her. Then he corrects her again. And when she gets it right, he has the group repeat it fifty times.

Kennedy snarls at her. "Way to go, maggot."

He snaps out, his voice filled with command "Well, since you have so much energy to burn, you can do fifty more."

As they watch the group run through the routine again and again, Faith whispers to Buffy "When did you..."

"This morning after you left for work."

Faith looks on. "What's he doing?"

Buffy looks on. "They split them up by capability. Each group exercises to build their strength and stamina while he trains one group to fight. It's how his people train, except each group should have it's own trainer."

As they walk by the groups, one of the girls pauses for a moment and waves. "Principal Wood, hi! It's so weird seeing you outside of school." Amanda calls out. She swiftly returns to her exercises at Mira's glare.

He looks around the bark yard. "Looking good."

Faith glances at him. "But...?

Robin looks at her. " Well, I'm just not sure the First has an ass that you can actually, you know, kick."

Buffy nods her head in agreement. "You're right, it's not enough."

Robin interjects "That's not what I said, Buffy. It's an impressive group of recruits."

Buffy shakes her head. "They're not recruits. Recruits are recruited, they're volunteers. These girls were chosen. They're draftees."

Faith "We're doing the best we can with what we've got."

"But they're not all gonna make it. Some will die, and there is nothing that any one of us can do that will prevent it. It's what happens then that tells us what kind of troops we have. We don't have the time to get them mentally and physically to my standards."

"Or mine. But they will be as ready as they can be made in the time you do have. They've got the potential." The armored figure speaks from behind them. "You're still seeing them trickle in?"

Faith's look of surprise swiftly disappears before she nods. "As the coven finds them, we gather them up, Mandalore."

"Then start a group every other week with the new comers. Promote them up as they earn it." He turns back to his group. "Take a break and rest when you finish.

* * *

That evening, Buffy sits in the recliner in the living room, waiting for Andrew to begin the first movie again. She glances around at the gathered potentials and newcomers covering the floor and furniture while worrying with the leather bag. Shaking her head, she opens the bag and looks within.

Willow walks in and looks around, and not seeing Kennedy, she makes her way through the crowded floor to Buffy. "May I?" At Buffy's nod, she sits on the chair's arm. "What ya doing?"

"Taking a look." She reaches in and removes an old book, it's cover showing some signs of wear, and opens it. She pauses, frozen in shock. Finally, she shakes herself, and raises her head. "Kreia, can you take a look at this?" She closes and passes the book along.

As the old woman opens the book and looks at the pages, she frowns. "It looks similar to archaic Sith. But there doesn't seem to be any dark side influences to it."

"It's Rakatan." Buffy speaks aloud.

"I've never heard of them." Mical speaks, an inquiring note to his voice.

Giles stands from the dinning room table and crosses to her as Kreia levitates the book and returns it to her. She takes it and opens the volume as Giles reaches her and looks over her shoulder at the words inscribed within. "It looks like ancient Sumerian. May I?" She carefully hands it to him. He studies the writings for a few minutes before he closes the book and hands it back to her. "As far as I can tell, it seems to be an odd dialect of Sumerian. But if you're sure..."

"I am. They made my Star Forge at the height of their empire more then twenty five thousand years ago. At least, that's what the droid we spoke with on Dantooine said. Of course, it lost contact soon after that. It's possible that they're the race that gave us the hyper drive." She looks at the exile's companions as she hands th book to Willow. "They were a dark side race that used a hybrid of force technology to conquer until they bred out the ability to manipulate the force. They tried to retain their empire despite the inferior performance of their plain tech but fell to a slave uprising. I know that among the worlds they conquered are Kashyyyk, Tatooine, Manaan and Korribon. And the original Sith Race is from Korribon" She looks up at Giles. "The real question is what is a book written in the Rakatan language doing in a slayer emergency kit with something to do with the slayer's power." She looks in the bag and pulls out a locked box made of age darkened wood. She examines the box and then puts it back in the bag carefully.

Giles nods as the others. "This is unprecedented."

"Faith, tell Robin we're going to open it tomorrow evening instead of the movie. He might want to be here. I'll read through the book tomorrow night.

* * *

The next evening, Buffy, clad in robes, sets down the slayer's emergency kit next to Robin. "You deserve to be here."

Robin nods "I appreciate the thought."He looks around the room, conspicuously empty of potentials. Only the core Scoobies and one droid are present.

Willow removes the contents of the bag. "There's some neat stuff in here. Weapons, charms, and advanced reading assignments." She gestures toward the book in Buffy's other hand.

Xander smiles eagerly. "Yeah, cool stuff, but we've seen most of it before."

Anya points to the box sitting on the coffee table. "Well, not this, we haven't. What's inside it?"

Robin "Mm, I don't know. It hasn't been opened since before I was born."

A beep and T3 rolls up and picks the lock as Buffy holds it steady. She opens it and pulls six metal figures out. "The book calls them shadow casters.

Xander grins. "Nah, they're puppets. That's it! The First hates puppets! Now if we can just airlift Kermit, Fozzie the Bear, and Miss Piggy into town, the First'll be a-running."

Willow giggles. "Those are Muppets."

Buffy smiles as she takes the figure from Xander. "Shadow-casters, Xan. You put them in motion, and they tell you a story. It says you can't just watch, you have to see."

Anya "What the hell does that mean?"

Xander winces "It's cryptic. I don't like it. Every time instructions get cryptic, someone gets hurt - usually me."

Dawn and Giles both ask "You can't just watch, you have to see? See what?"

Buffy shakes her head. "That's where all my translating skills break down, but as far as I can tell, it's an

origin myth for the very first slayer. The basics are simple enough, but there may be something it'll show us.I may have seen her in my dream sense I got back. It may mean something, right?"

In the darkened room, Xander strikes a match and lights the wick at the center of a hexagonal blackened metal mechanical object. The light fills the room, revealing Buffy holding a large book open in her arms. "According to this, wee put on those puppet guys one by one. They'll cast shadows and the shadows tell the story. First, there is the Earth."

Xander puts the first metal figure, a silhouette of some hills, on the mechanical object. As the light at

the center casts a shadow of the figure on the wall, a tribal drumbeat begins to sound out from the background.

Dawn looks up. "What's that sound?"

Xander "OK, so far, so creepy."

Buffy looks at Willow. "Call it magic or the force. Then there came the demons."

As Xander spins and adds the figure to the shadow caster, growling sounds begin to moan through the darkened room.

Buffy looks at the droid. Do you hear the sounds?"

The dorid beeps and whistles.

"People, T3 is receiving them too. And after the demons, there came men." Strange chanting begins to sound. "Men took a girl." The cry of a girl's scream rips through the room. "The men took the girl to fight all the demons and chained her to the earth."the clank of a chain rattling begins to compete with the other sounds. "And the darkness was used."

Suddenly, the shadow caster begins to spin, the shadows climbing the walls and acting out the story, moving and shifting.

Buffy speaks, her voice and accent strange and almost hissing "You cannot be shown. You cannot just watch, but you must see. See for yourself, but only if you're willing to make the exchange."She shakes herself. "The words, they're changing into English.

Willow and Dawn stand, alarmed, as the shadows show the story of a demon attacking the chained girl. The device revolves ever faster as the shadows climb and shift up the walls. Suddenly, a brilliant blue light appears at the center of the caster, growing in size until it forms a window of light large enough for a person to enter. Faith walks closer to it, watching it closely.

Xander "But what does it mean?"

Buffy smiles coldly. "It means I have to go in there for the answers.".

Willow panics. "No, it doesn't! Where does it say that? It doesn't say that! We just got you back!"

Robin stands and puts his hand on her shoulder. "Alexi, you don't even know what you're exchanging. You don't know if you're ready yet."

Buffy laughs. "That's the point. We need to know. And this is the only way to find out quickly enough to matter."

Willow jumps to her feet. "No. Buffy, we don't know where you're going or how we'll get you back."

"Buffy, you can't." Xander stands suddenly, clenching his hands in frustration.

"How will we get you back?" Willow asks,

Buffy smiles. "You found me once when you didn't have a clue where I was. You can do this." She moves until she is right in front of Willow. "This time, you'll know where I am." She grabs Willow and pulls her in and gives her a passionate kiss. She takes a step back as she lets Willow go. As Willow collapses to the couch, she hears Buffy in her mind. "We are deeply connected, my best friend and more." She turns and walks into the window of light which seems to spin and close behind her.

Willow sits there stunned as Dawn cries out "She's gone again."

Xander looks at Willow, a goofy grin spreading on his face. "Huh".

Anya looks to Giles. "What was that about an exchange?" Suddenly, a blue flash of light briefly illuminates the room and as it fades, a large demon is left behind, it's growls carrying threateningly in the now silent room.

Giles "Ah, this must be the exchange."

The demon suddenly reaches for Xander when the hiss of blaster bolts send it to the floor, singed and stunned. The droid beeps twice and retracts the twin blaster pistols back into it's upper surface.


	8. Chapter 8

Buffy looks around at her surroundings and shakes her head. From the protruding rocks and the limited shade they cast, she looks out over the seemingly endless sand dunes. Then she looks up at the twin burning suns in the morning sky and sighs. "You have got to be kidding me." She raises the hood of her robe and begins to walk.

Some time later, as she begins to seek shelter from the coming heat of the day, she spots a group of three men dressed in African tribal fashion, each holding a tall staff and each wearing a different color of head-dresses. She sighs at the out of place clothing as she approaches. "Hello? I'm the slayer."

The men speak some unrecognizable language that no one of Earth should know. The one with a red headdress speaks. "_We know who you are_."

The next, his headgear almost black continues. "_And we know why you're here_."

"_We've been waiting_." the one with the brown finishes.

Buffy nods. "Good. That'll make this easier then. So where are we, anyways?"

The three of them stand up and begin to circle her. Each speaks in the same order.

Red "_We have been here since the beginning_."

Black "_Now, we are almost at the end._"

Brown "_You are the hell mouth's last guardian_."

"Okay, then." She drawls. "OK, um, I have a First to fight and troops to train. So just tell me what I need to know. I came to learn."

Red _"We cannot give you knowledge. Only power_."

Buffy glares at him. "You know what I think? That you're a bunch of know-it-alls that act all high and mighty but won't do anything if you don't have to."

One of the men raises his staff and brings it down on her head.

Buffy collapses to her knees, her eyes closed. she slowly leans forward until she suddenly snaps her arms forward catching herself. She opens her eyes, now glowing red.

* * *

Back at the house, Willow pours green sand from a bag, creating a circle with the sand. Kennedy stands at the base of the stairs, blocked from descending all the way by the droid. Robin and Spike stand guard over the bound form of the demon as Giles looks at the book in his hands, glancing at the preparations Willow is performing while Dawn, Xander and Anya watch.

Kennedy semi growls out "And this is gonna help us how?"

Dawn shakes her head. "The sand forms a circle. The circle acts as a barrier. And the barrier contains the portal."

"So now what? We hold hands and chant kumbaya or something?" Kennedy asks sarcastically.

Willow hands the bag of sand to Anya. "Maybe. 'Til we get the magicks up and running, I'm kinda working on my best guess here."

"Will, maybe we should wait." Xander speaks out.

"For what?" Willow pauses for a second as she throws a quick glance at him.

He squats down. "To give her the time she needs to do what she has to do."

Willow shakes her head. "No, I don't think we should wait right now. Opening a portal this size could take days."

Kennedy speaks "Better get started. Wouldn't want miss high and mighty to have to wait."

Willow holds her hands in fists and shifts her weight from one foot to another nervously. "I think I might pee my pants."

A beep from the droid draws their attention. A place on the droid's front glows and suddenly a light shines forth. A small image of Buffy sitting with the book on her lap appears. "Hey Will. I know your worried, but I know you can do this, well you and Xander."

Willow and Xander look at each other at then look back at the hologram.

"Willow, Xan-man, sit down and find something to focus on. Then focus on a memory of me and reach out for. Both of you have a bond with me. Just follow it. Then you can open the portal, Will."

"But, but, I don't know if I can."

"You can. I know you can. The only thing preventing you is your fear. Face your fear and don't let it rule you. That way lies surrender to the darkness. Look at the other colors."

Willow sits down. "OK." She breathes deeply, then sits down in the middle of the circle. "Via temporis, iam clamo ad te, via spatii te jubeo aperire. Aperi!" With nothing immediately happening, she turns to Dawn. "Dawnie, you'd better put on some coffee. This could take awhile." Willow is interrupted by a flash of light. As a brilliant blueish energy radiates through the room, sending everyone off balance. Willow's eyes turn black, and she screams like a banshee.

* * *

Buffy stands in a cave, the three men from before are held against the wall by the force of her will. As she looks through the chamber, she asks them, her voice very cold "What is this?"

Brown hat replies "_We are at the beginning. The source of your strength. The well of the slayer's power_."

Red "_This is why we have brought you here_."

"I thought I decided to journey here. Listen, guys. I'm already a slayer, bursting with power. Really don't need any more."

Red "_The First Slayer did not talk so much_."

Buffy stares at him, her red eyes literally beginning to glow. "_Was that before or after you raped her_?" She speaks in the same language. "_And where did you learn this language?_ _How do you understand the Rakatan_ _tongue_?" For the first time, the three men are surprised, no, shocked at her words. She steps forward, closing the distance to them. "_Why are you here on this world, Tatooine_?"

They regain their composure and watch her calmly. The black hatted one speaks. "_It was necessary. One was sacrificed so the rest could live."_

Brown "_She was unwanted and to be cast out_."

Buffy looks at them. "_So the end justifies the means_."

Red "_Yes. And you have studied that which is forbidden to all slayers. Who taught you?"_

Buffy looks at him. "_I was taught by the Jedi council. Perhaps you've head of me here_." She looks at each one of them. She smiles "_I am Revan_." As they look at her, fear working it's way to their faces, she steps up and touches red hat. On the side of the head. He begins to scream as she ransacks his mind for information.

Minutes later, she walks to a wooden box and picks it up. "_This is what you used_?"

The other two stare at her victim hanging there for a minute, his mind broken.

Black "_Herein lies your truest strength. The energy of the demon_."

Brown. "_It's spirit. It's heart_."

Buffy looks at them. "_This is how you.._."

Brown "_Created the slayer? Yes_." He nods

"_At what cost_?"

Black hat "_It must become one with you. This will make you ready for the fight_."

"_By making me less human_? _What gives you the right to decide?_"

Brown "_This is how it was then. How it must be now. This is all there is._"

She laughs, her voice cold and terrifying. "_You have no idea of how much power I have or what I can do with this_." She lifts the box and holds it with her left arm and looks at the two of them. "_I am not a Jedi. I am Revan, Dark Lord of the Sith. And I will show you my capability._" she raises her right hand and calls on the force. Black lighting twinged with red manifests and begins to tear into the walls. As she walks out of the cave, two screams carry out on the wind. She watches as the force lighting grows and spreads and melts the very sand itself until the sun begins to rise. Finally, she cuts off the power and smiles grimly at the molten dunes spreading to the horizon and beyond.

* * *

In the living room, Willow and Xander sit on the floor. Willow inside the circle of green sand and Xander across fromher and outside it. She looks up to reveal her eyes are black. Anya and Dawn stand near her.

Willow crys out "Via, concursus, tempus, spatium, audi me ut imperio. Screw it! Mighty forces, I suck at Latin, OK? But that's not the issue. I'm the one in charge, and I'm telling you open up, portal, now!"

Buffy's voice cuts through the room from the hologram projected by T3. "Willow, focus. What color?"

Suddenly, she shifts position. She reaches on hand toward Dawn, and her eyes begin to change yet again. The solid black begins to give rise to spots of green and blue that shine. Giles starts as Willow suddenly taps a form of power he has never experienced before. Dawn hesitantly takes Willow's hand and for a moment, nothing happens.

A strange and ominous calm spreads out, covering the entire town. Then, the portal reappears, ripping open and flashing through the room top the bound demon and just as suddenly, it disappears. Buffy raises her hand and removes the hood of her robes as she looks around the room, her glowing red eyes startling everyone. She asks "Robin, could you take this and lock it up somewhere for now."

He nods silently and takes the wooden box from her before she collapses to the floor.

* * *

Buffy slowly becomes aware of her surroundings. She sits up on the couch and looks around the room. She swings her feet around and just relaxes as the aches and pains slowly fade to a manageable level.

Willow smiles. "Hey there. Welcome back."

"Hey ya, Will. It's been a long time. Hug?" she holds out her arms, here face pouting in a pure Buffy manner.

Willow changes seats and gives her a hug.

Xander pauses in as he comes back into the room and stares at her. Suddenly he grins, and pulls her up and into his arms and holds her tightly. "It's good to see you, Buffy."

"It's good to be back, my Xander shaped friend." She slightly squeezes back.

Giles looks up as Willow squeals in delight. "Buffy!" as she leaps to her feet and wraps her arms around the two.

Giles clears his throat. "Give her some air."

Willow and Xander sheepishly let go, only to watch, surprised, as Giles delivers a hug of his own. "Welcome home, Buffy."

She smiles. "This is good."

Xander asks a question. "How?"

"After I went through the portal, there were these three guys. One of them hit me on the head. Alexi was knocked out and Revan took control." She shivers. "So not a nice person. Anyway, she got the 411 they had. Talk about a waste. They just wanted to give us more power, make us even less human." She shivers in disgust.

* * *

Later that night, Giles,Willow and Xander sit around the sleeping form of Buffy. As they watch her, each thinks on the two images she shared with them.

The first is the ground before them, molten to the horizon as the sun rises, shortly after followed by a second sun rise.

The second, a vast cave. As a single Turok-Han growls a battle cry, more and more come to view until there are thousands upon thousands of Turok-Han, an army of them gathering somewhere underground, an army ready to spread onto the Earth and crush any human resistance.


	9. Chapter 9

Willow is walking through the courtyard after her last class of the day when she hears someone calling her name. Glancing up, she smiles as she sees Riley and Samantha Finn heading toward her. When they get close, she asks "Hey, Riley, Sam. What's up? Why'd they send you back to good ole Sunnyhell?"

Riley looks around. "Is there somewhere we can talk?"

Willow studies him for a moment. "Sure. We can hit the Grotto. I'll check in on the way." As they walk, Willow pulls out a cell phone and calls the house, letting them know something's up. After drinks are ordered and received and the three take to a secluded table, Samantha asks a question as she opens her pack and removes a large manila envelope. "How are you with the magics?"

"I'm better. After you left, Tara was killed and I lost it for a while. But I spent last summer in England with a coven and I learned a lot. It still frightens me, but I'm dealing. And I got a new teacher last week. She's..." Willow learns back in her chair. "She's really, really strong and knows a lot. I, I scared the coven members with how strong I am, but this woman, she makes me look weak. I had a bad spell when Tara died, but she understands and is showing me how to control the powers, and how to access a wider spectrum. You should have seen her take down the thing in the high school gym the other day."

Riley leans forward. "What did this thing look like?"

"Twenty foot tall, ripped wide the door to the gym. Claws, green skin, big teeth, mandibles as long as your arm. It was a terentak."

Sam nods , the name sounding vaguely familiar. She passes the envelope across the table. "What is this?"

Willow opens the envelope and pulls out the pictures. She looks at the pictures of the Ebon Hawk resting on the high school football field before looking up. "What's it look like to you?" she inquires.

Riley shakes his head. "It looks like something out of Star Wars." He studies her face intently. "You know something, don't you?"

Samantha nods, her own examination of Willow leading to the same conclusion. "What is it, Willow?"

Willow nods her head. "You said it yourself, Riley. Only it's from about four millennium before the movies."

Riley and Sam watch her take a sip of her mocha as her words sink in. Finally, Riley blurts out "You're kidding, right? Everyone knows those things aren't real."

"Well, in this universe, that's true. But that doesn't mean that it can't or, or doesn't exist in some other dimension." Willow sits back. "Why are you here? What do you really want?"

Riley sighs. "Willow, do you know what that vessel represents? The knowledge and technology it contains are vital for our security. We have to take it so that our scientist and engineers can study it."

Willow shakes her head, a little sadly. "No, it's you who don't understand. It's owners are here, in Sunnydale. And they're helping us save the world again." She finishes her mocha and stands.

Samantha and Riley hurry after her as she leaves the place. Unseen by any of them, Amy watches them leave, her eyes filled with rage. Samantha is the first one to speak. "What do you mean, the end of the world?"

Willow glances at her as they cross the street. "The first evil is trying to kill off the slayer line and become corporeal. It's got an army of turok-han, super vamps, on the other side of the hell mouth just waiting to be unleashed, and when it's forces out number us, then it's got a body. Meanwhile, it's jumping around, appearing as dead people and playing mind games with everyone and the only one that can even touch it is B... Alexi. We got a house full of potential slayers, but for now, they're just girls."

* * *

At the high school, Riley shakes his head. At his wife's questioning glance, he explains. "There's a hell mouth under the high school library?" he glances at Willow.

"They rebuilt, it's under the principal's office now. And so far, he seems to be on our side." Willow informs them as they cut past the building.

Samantha sighs. "And why is it even here in the first place?"

"The last and only mayor of Sunnydale, Mayor Wilkins, tried to become a seventy foot long snake like demon, an Olvikian. It happened at our graduation, so we blew the place up to kill him. He spent over a hundred years on his plan."

They turn the corner of the gym and Sam and Riley see the ship resting of the field for the first time. And the gathering of students and adults in lines to have pictures taken and to touch and hold real light sabers and blasters and even squeeze off a few shots at the targets now set up, after paying a small fee first.

Xander waves at her and cuts through the gathering. "Hey, Will. Riley, Sam." he nods at the married couple. "I told Alexi about your companions."

"Good. Oh, what are you doing here, anyway?"

"I'm delivery guy today, food and stuff. And Anya is happy at the money we're making even considering half the profits are going to the school." He smiles before he walks back to the truck parked at the edge of the field and picks up a box.

Willow and group follow along as he carries it to the ship. "Xander, they came because someone sent photos of the ship. They came to check it out and report back. And if any others are on the way..."

Xander grimaces. "I know, Will. But you heard what she said. They go home sometime this evening." He looks around the gathered people. "The track and baseball teams' practice drew a crowd, and well, some of the kids wanted to have a look. They'll be shut down by eight and out of town by midnight."

Riley looks at the ship for a moment and shakes his head. "Where'd this thing come from?"

An unexpected voice sounds behind him, causing him to jump. "Unstable dimensional portal."

Riley slowly turns around to see a sight he thought was impossible. "Buffy." The whisper is ripped from him, just loud enough for them to hear.

She shakes her head sadly. "Not quite." she whispers before she walks up the boarding ramp.

As Riley moves to follow her, Willow grabs his arm. "No, Riley." At his unspoken question, she shakes her head. "She doesn't remember most of her life before the beginning of the school year you left in. She ended up there." She waves at the ship. "It's been over thirty years for her. And that's not counting the times they tried to erase her memories. She's Alexi for now." Willow heads up the ramp, Xander fallowing with his burden.

As Riley sets foot to the boarding ramp, a cold metallic voice sounds beside him. "Statement: you do not have permission to board, meat bag." After a quick glance and spotting nothing, he shrugs his shoulders and starts up again. This time a reddish metal humanoid droid shimmers into visibility beside the ramp, a large rifle like weapon in it's arms and aimed between his eyes. "Statement. Further progress will enable me to open fire."

Riley steps back and watches as the droid fades back into invisibility.

* * *

Inside the ship, Buffy crosses the first intersection and enters a room where Bao-Dur makes the finishing touches on a metal box. "Hey."

"Greetings." He nods to her. As Willow and Xander enter, he continues. "I've just finished the container now."

"What's it for?" The soft voice comes from the other corridor. As they look up, Amonoa enters the hold, her eyes questioning.

As Willow watches, her curiosity aroused, Buffy smiles at the Jedi, a hint of crulty barely noticeable. "When they created the slayer, they took the heart, the spirit of a demon and forced part of it into a young woman." She steps to the workbench and opens a cabinet. She removes an ancient wooden box, it's sliding lid closed. "They stored the rest of the spirit in this box." She sets the box on the bench and waits until Bao-Dur steps back, his finished work gleaming in the light. Buffy glances up as the other Jedi in training enter the room. She opens the metal box and then turns and slips the wooden lid open. She steps back. As an inky black cloud rises from the box, slinking through the air, seeking an escape. Buffy raises a hand and the dark spirit begins to struggle as she holds it in place. A piece of the spirt the size of a golf ball separates and floats toward Willow. As she shakes her head, a second piece separates and floats to Amonoa. As the group watches, the rest of the spirit enters the metal box, struggling against the force holding it. As it enters fully, Buffy reaches over and closes the new spirit prison. "If you want a hint of what I am, take the piece into yourself, Amonoa, Willow."

The two women look nervously at the small pieces of demon spirit for a moment before Willow looks at Buffy. She straightens her back and reaches out and takes the ball of darkness and swallows it. Amonoa watches Willow and then she does so as well.

Buffy smiles and collapses. As the people scattered around the hold begin to move, Buffy stands up, her attitude cold and harsh, halting them in there tracks. Her now red eyes freeze the Jedi as her dark presence cause Willow and Xander of shiver. She steps forward to Amonoa. "It is a seemingly such a simple thing. Yet it opens the door to so much more that most humans shall never perceive. It will heighten your aggressiveness slightly, but you can stay in control." Revan picks up the container and begins to leave, pausing at the exit. "If you had received even half of what I carry, you would become animalistic as the instincts of the demon overwhelm you. You would become a predator, unable to do much thinking or planing." She turns to look. "It is our mind that makes us human, that lets us choose our path. Take that away, and all that we remain are animals. Dangerous animals, but only animals. And as long as I have a choice, I refuse to give that up. Darth Nihlious did, an he is driven by his hunger, enslaved by his own power, by the dark side. He is still powerful, but he is driven more by instinct then by his own mind."

As the Jedi studies the one she served under, she thinks of her woods. Finally, she nods in understanding.

Revan smirks and turns to leave, Willow and Xander beside her. At the top of the ramp, Revan leans against the bulkhead for a moment before she recovers and shakes her head. As her two companions suddenly look at her, she turns to face them, her brilliant hazel eyes lighting up as the dark presence fades away.

* * *

Buffy smiles as she and Willow sit down in the bronze. Buffy leans back and sighs. "Will, I needed this."

Willow looks over to where Xander stands at the register, paying for their order. "Buffy, why is this happening?"

"The three of us have begun to merge. Part of that is that Revan and I can sometimes control our body. But we have to wait our turn in the cycle. As for this." she waves around them. "I need to show them, to show Revan how to have fun and how important friends are."

Willow grins. "So you blew off Riley and Sam and dragged us here."

"I didn't blow them off cause that would be wrong. I told them I'd talk to them tomorrow."

"So how'd you get them to leave so easily, then?" Xander asks as he sets a croissant in front of Buffy before setting their drinks down.

Buffy arches an eyebrow. "A Jedi can influence the weak willed, Xan-man. And if they're dark siders, they're willing to do so much more. Any of them can make an enemy into a loyal servant, play with your memories. Any wielder of the force can do so, bound only by their time and morality. Which is why increasing both your willpower and your sensitivity is necessary to resist."

Xander nods. "It's like when Dracula showed up and made me his butt monkey. If I had more willpower, I might have been able to resist."

"Or to break free on your own." Buffy nods in agreement.

Willow giggles, "So you 'suggested' they stop by tomorrow." She raises her figures and curls her fingers at the word suggested.

Buffy nods her head. "Yeppers. I need time with my best buds."

Willow and Xander look at each other before they turn to face her. Willow clears her throat before she opens her mouth. "Buffy, what's the difference between Jedi and Sith?"

Buffy leans back in her seat and sighs. "The Jedi are increasingly a monastic order. In the past half century, they've been going more and more toward teaching that emotions are bad. I can see them trying to do what the Watchers have tried to do with their potentials. Duty before all. The Sith remind me more of a collection of wizards and witches, studying many different fields, many of them going to far in their arrogance and belief in their own power and control. Through the use of Sith alchemy, for instance, you can create swords or even armor that are virtually indestructible, capable of standing up to blows from even light sabers."

Xander nods. "Wow. Just wow."

Willow sits there, shocked for a moment. Buffy looks at her, throws a quick glance and a grin at Xander, grabs Willow and drags her to the dance floor before she recovers.

Willow looks at Buffy, catching her gaze. "Not that I mind, but why this?"

Buffy leads the red head on the dance floor, flowing to the music. "It's time to cut loose and enjoy ourselves, to reach out and connect with the call to live, to love, to have fun. Tomorrow, Alexi will be back and this is something I can show you better then anyone."

Willow looks questioningly at her. "What's that?"

As the band plays, Buffy sways to the music. "This kind of music calls to the heart and soul. Feel the rhythm." As Willow begins to move, Buffy smiles. "Now, reach out and let their emotions flow by." As Willow nods, she continues. "Now ride the flow. Just relax and move with the beat."

As Xander watches, he notices the dancers slowly begin to move together, slowly become a coordinated whole.

* * *

The next day, Buffy watches the potentials train as she meditates on the back porch. As the door behind her opens, she calls out "Hello, Rupert. How are our guests?"

Giles sits beside her on the stairs. "Riley and Samantha are well. They're a bit upset that the ship is gone, though. It's fortunate that your robot is invisible."

Buffy nods. "It's to be expected. Letting a single nation get their hands on it wound destabilize this world. And Buffy doesn't trust the military very much. Revan has the same concerns as I do about the Jedi. Each of us have been betrayed by those we were supposed to trust. Buffy forgave you and blamed the council. She blamed Walsh and the idiots that set up the Initiative. Through the portal and the Jedi tried to erase her memories and create Revan. Thirty years later they did it again and created me." She turns to look at him. "True trust and respect need to be earned, both from those that follow and those that lead." She stands up. "Your council never respected the slayer. In fact, they thought of them as only good to go out and fight and die at their command. That needs to change. How many times would I, would Buffy have failed without Willow, Xander, you." She calmly meets his gaze.

Giles nods and sighs heavily. "You are correct. You, or rather, Buffy taught me that lesson once, years ago."

A noise of the door opening announces Riley and Sam's arrival on the back porch. Giles looks up at the yard as he stands. Turning, he looks at the two newcomers. "Riley, Samantha."

Riley throws a quick glance around. "Buu, uhh, Alexi. Giles. What's up the girls?"

Buffy moves up the stairs and to the side. She turns and leans back against the railing. "They are potential slayers. The ones that were found and got to us alive."

Samantha gasps. "What?"

Giles clears his throat. "The first evil is active and is seeking to eliminate the slayer line and invade our world. It plans to open the hellmouth and bring forth an army of Turok-han."

Buffy laughs harshly. "That's what it wants us to think. Everything we know, it knows we know and could have easily planted it. Problem is, we still have to deal with it, distraction or not." She pauses for a moment. "If we open the hell mouth, we might be able to send a decent explosive device through to deal with this attack."

Riley looks at her in surprise. "What?!"

She smiles grimly. "One of my personalities saw the army and the cave they're in through the portal." She steps toward the door, the other three following behind her.

* * *

Several hours later, Riley looks up from the map Buffy sketched out from the vision. "What kind of side effects will there be?"

Buffy shakes her head. "I'm not the expert of interdimensional gates and weak spots in the fabric of space and time, I'm not even an amateur. Giles and Willow are the closest we've got." She throws a glance at him. "Still, we can work on this, call it plan C."

Samantha nods. "We'll get what we can." She and her husband stand up. "We'll be in touch."

As they leave, Willow arrives, her classes done for the week. "Hey guys. How did it go?"

Buffy waves at a chair. "Have a seat." Waiting until she sits, Buffy continues. "Riley's group will get us some demolition equipment and the experts to set it up to do what we need to do."

Willow wrinkles her forehead as she thinks. "But they came here for the ship and it's goodies."

Buffy leans back in her chair. "So they did. And they have resources to make our mission easier. So we negotiated."

Willow studies her intently. Just as she opens her mouth, a loud knock sounds from the front door. Giles stands, leaves the room and opens the door. "Hello, Wesley."

"Rupert. We need Faith. We had to set Angelus loose and he escaped." Wesley Wyndam-Pryce speaks as he enters the house. As he enters the dining room, he looks up. "My god! Buffy?" In stunned disbelief, he collapses into a chair, looking at her.

Buffy looks up at Giles. "I'll go. Maybe see the sights, where I used to live, things like that. HK-47 will stay here. Faith's in charge until I get back. Willow will accompany us."

Giles looks at her. "You know I don't like that mechanical monstrosity."


End file.
